In a move drawing swift reaction across the political spectrum, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is considering pardoning Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox, the two men convicted in the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Asked about potential pardons during a press event in the Oval Office, Trump responded,
“I’m going to take a look at it,” adding that “a lot of people think they got railroaded.”
The men were convicted in federal court of conspiring to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer and, in Croft’s case, possessing an unregistered destructive device. The plot, exposed just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, was fueled by outrage over Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 lockdown orders. At the time, it sparked national concerns about domestic terrorism and political violence.
Donald Trump’s comments came just days after Ed Martin Jr., the new U.S. pardon attorney, said on The Breanna Morello Show podcast that he was giving “a hard look” at whether the men deserved clemency. He even likened their cases to those of individuals Trump previously pardoned in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot.
Both Adam Fox and Barry Croft were sentenced to over a decade in prison following two trials in Grand Rapids. They were accused of not only plotting Whitmer’s abduction but also of conducting surveillance on her vacation home and building explosives. Fox was given 16 years; Barry Croft received 19. Defence attorneys claimed FBI informants and undercover agents had entrapped their clients.
Donald Trump expressed scepticism of the convictions, calling the trial a “railroad job.” “They were drinking and said stupid things,” he remarked. “A lot of people are asking me that question, from both sides.”
Critics say the remarks echo Trump’s ongoing pattern of sympathising with individuals accused or convicted of politically charged crimes, particularly those aligning with far-right ideologies. In 2021, Trump issued a wave of pardons to January 6 rioters and allies, bypassing traditional Department of Justice review procedures.
Legal experts note that presidential pardons only apply to federal convictions, not state-level charges. Fox and Croft were convicted in federal court, making them eligible for a pardon by Trump.
At the time of sentencing, Gretchen Whitmer said the verdicts sent a clear message: “Violence and threats have no place in our politics.” Her office declined to comment on Trump’s latest remarks.
The Whitmer kidnapping plot remains one of the most alarming domestic terrorism cases in recent U.S. history, with 14 men charged overall and several others either convicted or acquitted in state court.
As 2024 campaign rhetoric heats up, Trump’s consideration of pardons in this high-profile case could reignite debates over political extremism, law enforcement, and presidential power.
