One of the men charged in the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer previously made threatening online comments about wanting to “hang” President Trump and his predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, according to a federal court filing.
Barry Croft, 44, of Delaware made the comments in a series of Facebook posts, FBI special agent Kristopher Long said in the court document, which was obtained by the Associated Press.
Croft was one of six men federally charged earlier this month in the Western District of Michigan with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer, a Democrat, who has repeatedly faced protests by armed demonstrators over her coronavirus lockdown orders this year.
In one of the Facebook posts, which was described in an unsealed search warrant affidavit regarding an account belonging to Croft, a caption on an image of Trump read: “True colors shining through, wanna hang this mf’er too!!!%”
That post was made in May and a day later another read: “I say we hang everything currently governing us, they’re all guilty!!% And what a deterrent, Rope!!!%” according to the affidavit.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was mentioned in another post which read about hanging her “for war crimes against humanity,” the affidavit said.
Another post of a photo of a noose called for the hanging of Obama, “both Clinton’s (sic), Democrats, Liberals, Muslims” and others including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar as well as “A.O.C.,” a reference to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the document said.
An additional post read: “Which Governor is going to end up dragged off, and hung for treason first?”
Comments between Croft and an unidentified person referred to protests and “potential acts of violence” in South Carolina, including an apparent reference to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, the affidavit said.
“I’ll be in Columbia, SC on Friday,” Croft allegedly wrote in the May 4 post. “They say they want their Governor in custody. … I want to grab them all, and hold trial.”
In total, 13 men were busted in the alleged scheme to kidnap Whitmer, which court papers say the FBI uncovered through social media earlier this year.
Some of the plotters allegedly conducted surveillance of Whitmer’s vacation home, where they intended to abduct her before putting her on “trial” in neighboring Wisconsin, according to a federal criminal complaint.
