Trial for men accused of plotting Whitmer kidnapping opens

The trial for the men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in 2020 began on Wednesday.

The prosecutors began their arguments saying they will show in detail how Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft Jr. and Daniel Harris planned to attack Whitmer, Reuters reported.

“To accomplish that, they would shoot, blow up and kill anybody who got in their way, in their own words, creating a war zone here in Michigan,” prosecutors said in the opening statement.

The state plans to make use of two witnesses, Kaleb Franks and Ty Garbin, who have already signed plea deals and admitted guilt to their roles in the plot.

The defense, meanwhile, will attempt to convince the court there were never any concrete plans for the attack, and that the defendants were lured into the plan by FBI agents who targeted them over their anti-government views.

“There was no plan. There was no agreement. There was no conspiracy to kidnap the governor of Michigan or any other governor,” attorney Joshua Blanchard said.

Jury selection for the trial finished on Tuesday, with 11 women and eight men set to decide the fate of the defendants.

If convicted, they could all serve up to life in prison for their actions.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker is in charge of the case and instructed jurors to stay off social media and to avoid discussing the trial with family and friends.