JACKSON, MI — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer denounced what she sees as a rising tide of violent political extremism in a video statement played in court Thursday during the sentencing of three men convicted of aiding a plot to kidnap her.
A short video from Whitmer served as the victim impact statement during the sentencing of Pete Musico, Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar on Dec. 15. The trio of Jackson-area men were found guilty in October on charges of providing material support for terrorist acts and attempting to commit felonies as an associate or member of gang, as well as an additional charge of felony firearms.
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“Like all Michiganders, these three defendants are free to disagree, vote or campaign against me,” Whitmer said. “Instead, they took a different path, and supported a violent conspiracy, and provided material support for terrorism. They chose actions that are antithetical to what makes our nation strong and safe.”
Whitmer advised Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson to impose a sentence on the three defendants that equals the gravity of the damage the kidnapping plot caused to both the governor’s mental health and the public’s faith in Michigan’s political system.
“A conspiracy to kidnap and kill a sitting governor in the state of Michigan is a threat to democracy itself, and this kind of violent extremism has become disturbingly common,” Whitmer said.
The kidnapping plot was a symptom of a larger wave of violent extremism threatening the entire country, Whitmer said, citing violence threatened and carried out recently against public officials such as Paul Pelosi and Whitmer’s own colleague U.S. Rep. Fred Upton.
Whitmer said her own emotional wellbeing has been permanently shaken in the aftermath of the kidnapping plot.
“I cannot tell (my family) honestly that I am unphased,” Whitmer said. “I now scan crowds for threats; I think carefully about the last thing I say to people when we part; I worry about the safety of everyone near me when I’m in public; and I’m reluctant to share too much because I worry that it could endanger a loved one, a staff member, or a police officer on my security detail.”
The wave of threatening rhetoric also has the effect of discouraging aspiring elected officials and public servants from seeking to better their own communities, Whitmer said.
“If we’re not vigilant, this trend will accelerate, and could be our future,” Whitmer warned.
The governor’s concerns are shared by attorney Sunita Doddamani, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the Michigan Attorney General.
“Acts of terrorism are a way to short circuit democracy,” Doddamani said. “It replaces public discourse with intimidation and fear to attack democratic institutions.”
In a news release, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called for the maximum sentence against the three men.
“The defendants’ ultimate goals were to kill police and elected officials and kidnap the Governor of Michigan. These extraordinarily violent ends, coupled with the unequivocal conviction from the jury, demand the maximum sentence,” Nessel said. “Appropriate consequences for illegal acts are necessary to deter criminal behavior. Law enforcement officers that put their lives on the line to protect our residents and communities, and those elected as part of our representative government, deserve to know those who threaten their safety will face the full penalty of the law.”
Musico was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of 12 years in prison and a maximum of 42 years. Morrison received a minimum of 10 years, while Bellar received the most lenient sentence of the group: 7-20 years in prison. Bellar’s sentences are to be served concurrently, while Musico and Morrison are to serve their sentences consecutively for each of the three charges against them.
The three men are all former members of the Wolverine Watchmen, a Michigan militia group that met and hosted training sessions on Morrison’s Munith property.
Prosecutors previously argued that while the men were members of the group, they provided support — in the form of organized weapons training sessions and other logistical aid — to a plot to kidnap Whitmer orchestrated by Adam Fox.
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Trio sentenced in plot to kidnap Michigan governor
A jury in April acquitted Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris, while two others — Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks — took plea deals.
After April proceedings ended in a mistrial for Fox, both he and his “national contact” Barry Croft were convicted Aug. 23, after being retried on charges of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. Both men are set to face sentencing later in December.
Earlier this month, 86th District Court Judge Michael S. Stepka ordered five additional men accused in the plot to stand trial in Antrim County at a later date. These defendants include Shawn Fix, 40, of Belleville; Eric Molitor, 38, of Cadillac; Brian Higgins, 53, of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; and twin brothers Michael and William Null, 40, of Plainwell and Shelbyville, respectively.
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