Judge Tosses Whitmer Kidnapping Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich., on March 2, 2021. Michigan Office of the Governor via AP

The men who say they were ensnared in a government entrapment scheme to kidnap Michigan’s governor will have to prove their case in trial after a federal judge denied their motion to dismiss the charges.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker made his ruling Jan. 25, setting the stage for defendants Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta to stand trial on March 8 in one of the most high-profile domestic terrorism cases in decades.