Prosecuter Says Trio Planned Whitmer Kidnap to Ignite Civil War

(LibertySons.org) – Fourteen men, part of a paramilitary group called the Wolverine Watchmen, gathered in 2020 to plan and practice Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) kidnapping ahead of the 2020 election cycle, according to William Rollstin, a prosecutor with the state attorney general’s office. In his opening arguments in Antrim County Court on August 23, the prosecutor claimed Eric Molitor and twin brothers Michael Null and William Null channeled their dislike and distrust of state and federal governments into a terrorist plot, hoping to ignite a civil war.

Facing a possible 20-year prison sentence, the three men pleaded not guilty to charges of providing material support for terrorist acts and illegal possession of firearms. Rollstin presented his case using multi-media techniques to allow the jury pool to hear and see evidence, including social media posts, audio and video clips, and fragments of encrypted conversations from online apps.

Rollstin will likely call Dan Chappel, an Army veteran turned FBI informant, to the stand. Chappel became involved with Wolverine Watchmen because they liked training with weapons, a practice he wanted to maintain in civilian life. However, he became alarmed after group members discussed attacking police and contacted his local FBI office. The FBI recruited him as a confidential human source, and he provided key prosecution evidence in three previous trials.

Defense attorneys argued that Whitmer’s perceived draconian restrictions during the nearly 2-year national health crisis upset their clients and many others. However, the defense claimed the prosecution was tailoring a narrative and selectively using damning bits of evidence from a greater, more innocuous timeline. Molitor’s attorney portrayed his client as a clueless bit player who became overwhelmed once he figured out who the group had targeted.

A federal court convicted four group members in the primary kidnapping case. The same court acquitted two of the six defendants. Two other defendants took plea bargains and offered testimony and cooperation in return for reduced sentences.

~Here’s to Our Liberty!