President Donald Trump’s statement on May 28, 2025, that he is “taking a look at” pardoning men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 has sparked intense backlash, with Whitmer expressing deep disappointment. Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump called the convictions a “railroad job,” prompting accusations of hypocrisy from critics who argue his “law and order” rhetoric crumbles when applied to allies. The controversy, reported by NBC News, highlights a stark double standard, as many question how Trump’s base would react if a Democratic president considered pardoning his would-be kidnappers.
The plot, uncovered by the FBI in 2020, involved 14 members of the Wolverine Watchmen, an anti-government militia, targeting Whitmer over her COVID-19 restrictions. The group planned to abduct her from her vacation home, possibly kill her, and spark a civil war. Nine were convicted or pleaded guilty, with ringleaders Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. receiving 16 and nearly 20-year sentences, respectively, per a USA Today report. A 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in April 2025 upheld their convictions, rejecting entrapment claims and calling it a “textbook conspiracy.”
Trump’s comments follow his new pardon attorney, Ed Martin Jr., who told The Breanna Morello Show he would give the case a “hard look,” likening Fox and Croft to January 6 defendants Trump pardoned, per TIME. Martin called it a “fed-napping,” suggesting FBI informants drove the plot, a claim debunked by courts but echoed by Trump in 2022 when he labeled the scheme a “fake deal.” Whitmer, speaking to WOOD-TV, said, “I’m very disappointed they’re even considering it,” emphasizing the need to condemn political violence universally.
Critics, including Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), condemned Trump’s stance, with Dingell telling The Detroit News, “I’m deeply disturbed,” citing the plot’s threat to democracy. Political scientist Jeffrey Bernstein told CBS Detroit that even discussing pardons “desensitizes people to violence,” especially given the plot’s ties to far-right extremism fueled by Trump’s 2020 rhetoric, like telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” Whitmer herself blamed Trump for stoking division, a point she reiterated in her 2024 memoir True Gretch.
Trump’s defenders argue he’s addressing prosecutorial overreach, pointing to five acquittals in the case and FBI informants’ roles, per AP News. The White House declined to comment further, but Trump’s recent praise of Whitmer, calling her a “very good person” during an April 9 Oval Office visit, adds complexity, as their cordial interactions contrast with his pardon considerations, per Fox News.
The hypocrisy charge resonates widely. Critics note that Trump’s base, vocal about “law and order,” would likely erupt if a Democrat like Barack Obama considered pardoning someone plotting against Trump. The controversy, amplified by Trump’s pardons of loyalists like Michael Grimm, undermines GOP claims of moral consistency, per a May 2025 Pew poll showing 31% trust in their ethical governance. As Whitmer, a potential 2028 contender, navigates this, the debate over pardons risks further polarizing a nation already divided over Trump’s justice policies.
