Jury hears key informant in Governor Whitmer’s kidnapping plot

A man accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was ecstatic, exclaiming, “That’s it!” when he stopped by his vacation home in 2020 and told an ally to make a video, according to trial evidence filed Monday.

Jurors heard from Dan Chappel, who was known as “Big Dan” by Adam Fox and a gang of anti-government extremists. He was a crucial informant armed with recording devices to help the FBI build his case two years ago.

Fox and Barry Croft Jr. they are on trial for the second time on conspiracy charges. A jury in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a unanimous verdict could not be reached in April, but acquitted two other men.

Chappel, an Army veteran who hauls mail, explained to jurors how he joined a paramilitary group, the Wolverine Watchmen, in early 2020 to maintain his gun skills and meet people who supported gun rights. He said that he turned to the FBI when he was talked about killing the police.

Fox was not a member of the Wolverine Watchmen, but the group became his ally that summer. Chappel participated in firearms drills, met privately with Fox in the basement of a Grand Rapids-area vacuum cleaner store, and made two trips with him to view Whitmer’s property in Elk Rapids.

In a recording, Fox said they would pose as tourists on the first trip, “just seeing pure Michigan, bro,” a reference to a state tourism catchphrase.

“That’s it! That’s it! … Surely, that’s it!” Fox said about the Whitmer house while they were traveling in a van driven by Chappel.

Over lunch at a nearby tavern, Fox drew a map to determine the best ways to get in and out of the area in a pinch, Chappel testified.

Fox’s attorney has described him as an unlucky man who said things to please Chappel, whom he “adores.” Prosecutors tried to counter that portrayal by playing recordings in which Fox had detailed discussions about explosives, a possible attack on Whitmer on Mackinac Island and the aftermath of a kidnapping.

“Who was the leader?” asked Assistant US Attorney Nils Kessler.

“Adam Fox,” Chappel replied.

Fox, 39, who lived in western Michigan, Croft, 46, a truck driver from Bear, Delaware, and four other men were arrested in October 2020, just weeks before the presidential election. The government said they were making plans to raise money for an explosive.

Whitmer, a Democrat, has blamed then-President Donald Trump for fueling mistrust and fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn hate groups and right-wing extremists like those accused in the plot.

Trump recently called the kidnapping scheme a “phony deal.”

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Find full AP coverage of the Whitmer kidnapping plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial

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