WHITMER'S WAY
Gov Gretchen Whitmer wants to confront militia group who planned to shoot her & ‘try her for treason’ in kidnap plot
She explained what she wanted out of the conversation
MICHIGAN Governor Gretchen Whitmer has admitted a foiled plot to kidnap and shoot her has changed her life - and she wants to confront the men who masterminded the disturbing scheme.
A group of men plotted to kidnap Whitmer in 2020 as they accused her of treason over lockdowns and protocols she pushed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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In her new book True Gretch, which was released on July 9, Whitmer wrote about how she wants to meet face-to-face with the militia members who wished to harm her.
"What was I missing? I genuinely wanted to understand how people had gotten angry enough to actually want to kill me," she wrote, according to Detroit Free Press.
The group of men, who called themselves the Wolverine Watchmen, organized the plot in retaliation.
They discussed shooting her at her front door or pushing her out onto Lake Michigan in a boat, according to the FBI.
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"I'd like to understand; I really would. I would like to understand the instinct to take up weapons and plot," she said, according to USA Today.
"The assassination of a governor is not a rational conclusion to a stay-at-home order. It's just not. And so, what was going on there?"
The FBI learned about the group on social media and began closely monitoring their movements.
On the night of October 7, 2020, arrests were made and charges were filed against them the next day.
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Agents also seized pistols, rifles, ammunition, and bomb-making equipment during a raid.
Nine militia members were convicted while five were acquitted of the charges against them in connection with the plot.
Who is Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer?
Whitmer learned about the plan from the FBI and made a statement following the arrests.
"As the mom of two teenage daughters and three stepsons, my husband and I are eternally grateful to everyone who put themselves in harm's way to keep our family safe," Whitmer said at the time.
In terms of her desire to confront the men, some have ongoing appeals so her lawyers have advised her to wait on the conversation, but she is still eager for it to happen.
"And maybe there's something I can learn," she wrote.
Who are the Wolverine Watchmen?
The group takes its name from Michigan’s nickname – the Wolverine State.
Michigan has long been a hotbed of militia activity and they are fierce advocates of the Second Amendment - as well as the right to carry weapons in general.
The Wolverine Watchmen doesn't have much of an online presence.
It is not listed among the anti-government groups followed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist and hate groups.
The Anti-Defamation League, which also monitors extremist groups, has no mention of the Wolverine Watchmen on its website.
Militias sprang up in the aftermath of the Waco siege in 1993 when Federal agents were involved in a stand-off at a compound belonging to members of a millennial Christian sect.
The siege ended dramatically when fires consumed the compound, leaving some 75 people dead, including 25 children.
The authorities handling of the situation led to anti-government resentment and by spring 1995 almost every state had a militia group, says the ADL.
Many members of militia groups have been arrested since then, usually on weapons, explosives, and conspiracy charges.
In May, armed militiamen gathered outside Michigan's Capitol to rally against Governor Gretchen Whitmer's pandemic executive orders.
"Maybe there's something from a part of the state or a part of the human experience that'll make me a better leader or give me some insight that I can do something constructive with.
"Maybe there's nothing. Maybe I won't learn anything, but I'd like to see."
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ATTACK PLANS
In early 2020, the FBI found online rumblings of a so-called militia group planning to use violence to overthrow the Michigan state government.
Members accused Whitmer of stripping their rights with the Covid-19 protocols and devised a plan to storm the state's capitol building where they would kidnap Whitmer.
In the months leading up to their arrests, members trained, and met for meetings in Luther, Munith, and Grand Rapids, an unsealed affidavit revealed.
The participants got together and allegedly surveyed Whitmer's vacation home, and purchased night goggles to assist with the planned kidnapping.
After the 13 suspects were arrested, Matthew Schneider, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said Americans can disagree on politics, but violence is never tolerated.
"The allegations in this complaint are deeply disturbing," he said at the time.
"We owe our thanks to the men and women of law enforcement who uncovered this plot and have worked so hard to protect Governor Whitmer."
'CHANGED ME'
In her book, Whitmer, 52, described how she always has her guard up as a result of the threat of violence.
“Nearly three years down the road, there’s no doubt that the apparent kidnapping and murder plot changed me,” she wrote.
"I don't walk into any grouping of people without really being aware of where my [security] detail is, looking at the crowd to see is there anything or anyone that I should take note of or where the exits are.
"And so that has changed me. And I think it's sad because I am more reserved than I was."
Though it has been years since the plot, she's not sure her anxieties will lessen.
"Maybe when I'm not in the public eye, it'll recede. But I don't know," she said.
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RISE TO FAME
Whitmer was elected as Michigan's governor in 2018.
She went from a law school graduate to governor in just over two decades with stints in the House of Representatives and Michigan State Senate.
Whitmer recently made headlines as a suggested replacement for President Joe Biden should he drop out of the 2024 election.
However, Whitmer was quick to shut down speculation that she'd replace Biden as the Democratic candidate for president after his disastrous debate performance.
“It’s a distraction more than anything,” she told the Associated Press.
“I don’t like seeing my name in articles like that because I’m totally focused on governing and campaigning for the ticket.”
She added, "I think everyone has acknowledged it was not his finest 90 minutes.
“That said, this is a man I’ve known for a long time and has decades of public service receipts that he’s delivered to people.”
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Whitmer is also known for clashing with former President Donald Trump and she labeled him a bully in her book.
She blamed him for the plot to kidnap and kill her while insisting the militia group aimed to assassinate her.
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