Morning Briefing: Jury Deliberations Enter Day Three in the Trial of Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot
Morning Briefing: Jury Deliberations Enter Day Three in the Trial of Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot
The jury began the third day of deliberations in the trial of four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Morning Briefing: The jury began the third day of deliberations in the trial of four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The defendants are members of the far right extremists militia groups the Three Percenters and Wolverine Watchmen.
On the second day of deliberations, the jury reportedly requested a dictionary, and then “asked for a legal definition of the term ‘weapon.’”
The jury then asked for the entire transcript of all of the witnesses testimony, and U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker denied the request because the transcript is not ready and is “expected to be around 3,400 pages and finally the judge doesn’t want the jury to take anything out of context from the transcripts.”
Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. Attorney, said that the "evidence is powerful — the shoot house, the surveillance trips, the attempted purchase of explosives,” and that the “defenses of incompetence or entrapment did not seem to be supported by the evidence."
Judge Jonker reportedly explained to the jury that “agents merely suggesting a kidnapping plot to the defendants wouldn’t constitute entrapment. Using deception and having agents pretend to be someone they’re not also isn’t entrapment.”
Must Reads
Don Moynihan writes that the “QAnonification of our political discourse has real consequences. It instills fear and can ruin lives and reputations. It serves to erode trust in our public institutions. Educators already reeling from book bans and censorship now face accusations of “grooming” the children we trust them to teach. It can also encourage violence.” [The Washington Post]
Sophie Bjork-James writes “using scholars of the right as expert witnesses will not solve the problem of domestic extremism and the violence this movement inspires, to do so will require expansive efforts in policy, advocacy, intelligence, and education. However, they can play a key role in a broader strategy of protecting targeted communities from the threats posed by this movement…” [Rantt Media]
Hampton Stall and Daniel Grober write that “Dark MAGA is a post-alt-right online aesthetic movement based around a hardening of the pro-Trump online space, a repudiation of optics-conscious organising that delights in and celebrates violence and the terror that fascist organising might inspire. Like the Alt-Right from which it originates, Dark MAGA has ties to misogyny and trolling and has already seen early amplification among conservative influencers.” [GNET]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links provides a round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Research Desk that highlights research and analysis from academia of the Radical Right; Field Notes provides research and analysis the strategies and tactics of the Radical Right.
