Back in April a jury acquitted two defendants of conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 but couldn’t agree on a verdict for two others:
A jury on Friday acquitted two men of all charges in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer but couldn’t reach verdicts against the two alleged leaders, a stunning defeat for the government after a weekslong trial that centered on a remarkable FBI sting operation just before the 2020 election.
[…]
The result was announced on the fifth day of deliberations, a few hours after the jury said it had been struggling to find unanimity on charges in the 10-count indictment. The judge told the panel to keep working, but jurors emerged again after lunch to say they still were deadlocked on some counts.
Republican Congressman Dan Bishop of North Carolina has a thread today in which he raising many concerns about how that played out when it comes to the FBI’s actions.
This is some frightening stuff. Reinforces the idea that DOJ/FBI are completely corrupt. https://t.co/vaN9nLqAFf
— Carl Gottlieb (@c_cgottlieb) July 28, 2022
Thread. Again, we are a Banana Republic with this weaponized DOJ and FBI. https://t.co/xXSeur6c2A
— Joe (@JoeC1776) July 28, 2022
There are many issues in this thread that certainly deserve to be looked into much deeper:
Weeks before the 2020 election, the FBI announced it had foiled an alleged plot to kidnap the Michigan governor.
But now, in 2022, the story is VERY different. What happened, who authorized this operation, and is this typical of the DOJ's domestic terrorism unit?
🧵
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
This thread is something else:
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This past April, 2 of the men charged were acquitted on grounds of entrapment. The jury was hung on 2 others, and their retrial begins next month.
How did we get here? This was one of the biggest domestic terror ops in decades.
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
At the start of the trial, Buzzfeed News reported that the government was using “bare-knuckle tactics” & “leaving nothing to chance” in its case.https://t.co/4fAcJypsyS
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
The case relied on work by at least 12 informants and 2 undercover agents, which raised the question: Would this group have planned anything without the prodding and encouragement of the FBI?
A Michigan jury didn’t think so.
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
Every step of the way, the Whitmer plot was directed and encouraged by government agents. It required approval at the highest levels of the DOJ.
What we still don't know – Who approved this op? Who oversaw it?
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
FBI informants had leading roles in the group and the alleged plot. "[O]bservers from across the political spectrum have argued the FBI’s efforts… went beyond legitimate law enforcement and into outright entrapment."https://t.co/FOCCU5DqL3
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
The NYT acknowledged that the role of the FBI “muddled” the case, & reported that a bumbling nighttime surveillance trip, a large focus of the trial, had 4/12 men involved working for the FBI. https://t.co/lCeKFoC2j2
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
Here are some of the resources Rep. Bishop says the FBI used for the operation:
An incomplete list of what the FBI used for this op:
-$54k payday for informant
-$20k payday for 2nd informant
-New electronics & tires for informant
-Travel, food, alcohol expenses
-12+ informants, 2 undercover agents
-A how-to bombmaking video
-Gov't drones & planes— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
Wow.
In June 2020, the group stitched together by lead informant “Big Dan” was listless. They had no direction & seemed to be falling apart.
The FBI pushed him to keep them together. After rallying the group, handler Jayson Chambers texted him: “Look at you, bringing people together” pic.twitter.com/vJBGMvPhVt
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
That summer, Agent Chambers coached the same informant in a parallel scheme against VA Gov. Ralph Northam.
When Dan asked Chambers for advice on how to frame the plot when communicating with a recruit, he replied: “Mission is to kill the Governor specifically” pic.twitter.com/BVlGSXsJK4
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
The Northam plot has received even less attention than the Michigan fiasco. Just how far did the DOJ go here? We deserve answers. https://t.co/ZufxzKw7dS
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
Today I asked Matthew Olsen, Asst AG for the DOJ's National Security Division– is this case representative of the DOJ's domestic terrorism efforts?
He refused to answer.
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
Many questions remain:
Why did the DOJ announce the case so close to the 2020 election?
How much did it cost?
Who authorized and oversaw this op?
The American people deserve answers.
Watch my full questioning here: https://t.co/6ZZxFvlLfi
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 28, 2022
Those questions definitely deserve answers.
This legally constitutes a pattern indicating a possible criminal conspiracy within a government law-enforcement organization.
There can be NO other more important crisis in the American Republic- yet politicians and corporatist media ignore it.
Their silence speaks volumes. https://t.co/nVUoESiA1I
— xťřåbíğģğ *Not Valid In Some States (@xtrabiggg) July 28, 2022
This is business as usual for them. They just got caught this time because the people they entrapped didn’t take a plea deal.
— The Engine (@ngintx) July 28, 2022
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Related:
Glenn Greenwald has a question for Mich. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
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