Trump Lights a Match That Incites Violence in Michigan
Responsible leaders work to de-escalate tension. Trump does just the opposite with his brand of inspirational words.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters
When a forest is very dry, a spark can ignite a raging fire.
Law enforcement authorities in Michigan doused the flames this time with the arrests of 13 men on Thursday in connection with a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Six of the men were arrested and charged in federal court with conspiracy to commit the kidnapping. The remaining seven men were charged with state crimes relating to activities of the Wolverine Watchmen, a militia group in Michigan, including plans to kidnap Whitmer and other officials. The group allegedly called Whitmer a “tyrant” and planned to put her on trial for “treason.”
State Attorney General Dana Nessel said the defendants charged in the state case were training and planning to attack the state Capitol and had called upon members to identify the home addresses of police officers. She said the group “made threats of violence to instigate a civil war leading to societal collapse.”
