Donald Trump Is ‘The Person Most Responsible’ For Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot, Former FBI Director Says
During a Thursday appearance on CNN, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe blamed Donald Trump for the thwarted militia plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Crooks and Liars reported.
“The person most responsible for fomenting this sort of unrest, this sort of division, this sort of violence in this country right now is the president of the United States,” he said.
McCabe claimed that Trump’s comments are not just ideal for Russian amplification but for fueling extremists.
“But it is exactly that sort of rhetoric that causes extremists to feel like now is the time to take action. It serves as a sort of trigger for folks who are already violent, maybe unstable, pointed in that direction anyway. That encouragement from someone like the president of the United States cannot possibly be overstated. It is dangerous and we now see it happening on the streets of Michigan.”
As The Inquisitr reported, at least 13 people have been arrested in connection to the plot, which was allegedly hatched in June during a Second Amendment rally at the Michigan Capitol building in Lansing. According to the FBI, part of the scheme involved connecting with a local state militia known as Wolverine Watchmen. In addition to targeting Whitmer, the alleged conspirators also planned to target law enforcement officers, instigate a civil war that would pave the way for societal collapse, and attack the state Capitol building.
Whitmer released a statement on the alleged plot and took aim at Trump for his failure to condemn domestic extremists strongly enough. She also suggested that such groups took his words as a call to action. The Michigan politician was referring to the president’s controversial debate performance, where his remarks were taken by the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys as tacit approval of their activities. After widespread backlash, Trump walked back his statements and told the group not to interfere with the work of law enforcement.
Trump previously faced criticism for calling for the liberation of Michigan amid armed protests from militias over coronavirus restrictions. As reported by The Detroit News, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday claimed that Trump’s liberation comments encouraged militias such as the one allegedly behind the kidnapping scheme.
Trump and the White House have taken aim at Whitmer and accused her of stoking division by blaming the president for the foiled plan. Notably, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany pointed to Trump’s previous condemnations of white supremacists and other forms of hate.
