Heads Up: the Militia UPDATE
The FBI is charging that they have busted a militia group that was targeting the violent overthrow of the government and kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor,” an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit. “The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message.”
More details are coming this afternoon.
I’m just guessing on this but maybe they are Trump supporters?
UPDATE: Deb T just sent this:
UPDATE: Right here right now.
Former FBI Director Andrew McCabe pointed the finger at President Donald Trump on Thursday for fostering a cultural climate which triggered six men to allegedly plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).
At least there are good people on both sides.
1Creepily too much like The Sons of Jacob from The Handmaid’s Tale.
2Michigan has a long history of nut bags like this. I believe Timothy McVeigh’s buddy and accomplice (can’t remember his name) had a farm in MI where they practiced blowing up stuff.
I remember as a kid seeing “Impeach Earl Warren” signs all over the place.
3Nut bags like these guys are not just in Michigan anymore. They’re in almost all states thanks to our orange nut bag in the WH. A few good people as he likes to say.
4Holy moly. Glad that Gov. Whitmer is safe!
5Every day, here in Michigan, I drive by a yard sign that reads: “My governor is an idiot.” No, my governor is a hero who early on took action to close unnecessary stores, enforced social distancing and masks, and these nuts demanded freedom. So here we are, one of the safest states with unmasked gun nuts invading our state house and demanding her arrest. No thanks and good luck with your court case.
6In 1995, the Michigan militia met with Nichols and McVey who went on to blew up a federal building in Oklahoma.
For over 20 years, they’ve been in the shadows, until now, until this particular moment in the American story.
April 17 Trump tweets “LIBERATE MICHIGAN”, more Tweets attacking follow on subsequent days. Resulting in armed “white supremacists” storming the state capitol and surrounding the Governor’s residence, waving Trump banners and confederate flags.
In a June 14 phone call, according to the affidavit, Fox talked of needing “200 men” to storm the Capitol building in Lansing to take hostages, including Whitmer. He said they would try Whitmer for “treason” before the election in November.
Oct. 8 FBI breaks up militia plot to kidnap Michigan governor, this is domestic terrorism, we have to call it what it is.
7That was in April, not to excuse his Awfulness, but I don’t know if he repeated it. I already suggested on fb that he is capable of praising the militamen for their bravery.
8These “militia” types are anti-government, doesn’t matter who is in power, these dudes want to overthrow the “government”. They don’t want anybody to tell then what to do. Somebody needs to clue in the Trump cult that the militia is not their friend.
9So they were trying to violently overthrow the lawful government of the State of Michigan while waving the banner of a previous violent attempt to overthrow the lawful government of the United States? Looks remarkably like treason to me. Try them for treason and then, once convicted, execute them by hanging, in public. Barbarous? Yes. But so are their actions. And it might give their co-conspirators pause before their next treasonous action.
Some people see this as domestic terrorism, as far as I’m concerned, this goes beyond domestic terrorism and becomes treason.
10LIved there for man-years. Gretchen is one tough cookie. I respect her. Apparently the really really male dudes in the MAGA camp think they would burst into flame if they respected anybody but themselves = and i’m not even sure they respect themselves. Well, fellas, she runs like a girl and you can’t keep up with her!
11Like the Proud Boys, another unregulated militia group waiting in the wings for the next part of Trump’s “stand down & stand by” orders.
12Bob, I agree, hang ‘em high! Firing squad doesn’t work if the guy with the live round misses. A rope works good!
13Most of those militia children would have to get mom to iron their uni, lend them gas money and a car and would need time off from their min wage job.
She should also file a civil case against trump for inciting violence towards her.
14But the FBI has no problem kidnapping peaceful protesters off the street. Or if it wasn’t them then the FBI can find the aholes that did do that.
15The f king moron is responsible for current stochastic terrorism. The militia problem belongs only partially to Donnie, since the problem has been hugely ignored or actively impeded by Republicons for decades. The SPLC has some excellent archived articles on who amongst Congress/conservatives/Republicons have been full on impediments to efforts to track these groups or prosecute them. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch
16Joyce @ 9, I disagree. I’ve lived through Vietnam, where I saw that “traditional” warfare already didn’t work anymore; I’ve lived through 9/11, where I saw that “traditional” warfare wasn’t going to bring America down–sleezy back-door approaches are far better; I’ve lived through the whole Middle East debacle (and have a son who served 3 terms there), where I saw that the “old ways of war” aren’t going to solve anything anymore. But these bullies are in love with the current “government” because they can see that it has set its sights on bringing down America, and somehow they think that will be a win for them. If we don’t get the current resident out in January, they are going to get a big fat surprise.
17Not militia, Armed Rebel Groups
18Any other president and AG would have strongly condemned what happened in Michigan. They would jump in and help lead the investigation efforts. It’s telling, neither Trumpf nor Barrf have uttered a peep. Instead Trumpf goes on Fox with Bartiromo to complain (lie) about everything he hates. Calls Kamala Harris a monster, but call domestic terrorists what they are? No chance- they’re his kind of voter. By the way, Bartiromo was extra accommodating to all his bullshit talking points (she helped him remember what he wanted to rant about). She’s as bad as him.
19And Barrf, he wants his people to investigate nonexistent voter fraud, not these terrorists.
Tells you everything about the administration from hell.
This is a preview of things to come once Trump loses the election and he gives marching orders to his goons. These people are traitors and should be treated as such. We are going to have a bloodbath at some point.
20“… once Trump loses the election and he gives marching orders to his goons.”
Right now, Fox News announcers are drawing straws, the short one calls an Electoral College victory for Biden on election night. Because you know that’s where Trump will hear it first. If it’s delivered by an administration official in person, he’ll kill the messenger.
Then Trump calls in on Fox & Friends the next morning and issues marching orders. But even Fox & Friends will try and walk him back from that cliff. Steve Doocy dangles a post presidency call-in program as a distraction. Doocy’s once in a lifetime fear induced quick thinking saves America from Civil War II.
We enter an era of peace and prosperity.
21Great line from MSNBC talking head Lawrence O’Donnell about militia members, tonight.
Lawrence O’Donnell spoke a few lines connecting Timothy McVeigh to militias and re-iterated the new name law enforcement uses for militias in Michigan, “terrorists”. He went on to describe how these terrorists operated under extreme levels of OPSEC, including separating individual terrorists from their mobile phones and meeting in a space beneath the first floor of an otherwise innocent business, accessible through a trap door hidden by a rug.
Lawrence O’Donnell went to say, paraphrased, so if you are a militia member and you are meeting in a secret place with other militia members, when you look around and look at the other members present there is a good chance that one of those guys is wearing a wire for the FBI or state police.
For reasons I cannot articulate, I adore the possibility that these insects that have come out from under their rocks since 2009 or so have a reason to be a bit jumpy, to be looking over their shoulders. It has been a difficult 12ish years.
22I agree with montag @ 18. These people aren’t militia members. Militias were armed groups, organized by individual states, intended to be called up by the states for their defense, before the United States had a standing army. They were well organized, and they met and practiced regularly and openly. The people calling themselves “militias” today are nothing but Armed Rebel Groups. They work against the government, not for it.
23Rick @ 21:
24You should forward that to Lorne Michaels. You’d get the gig.
I just want to express relief that nobody was killed by these fools…
25What Yellowstone @20 says, been advising y’all for years that Civil War II is one of their alternate plans.
Rick @21 says- “Doocy’s once in a lifetime fear induced quick thinking saves America from Civil War II. We enter an era of peace and prosperity.”
26WTF are you smoking Rick?
Enough with the “militia group” BS. Call them what they are, terrorists.
27Just had a long distance chat with my sister who still lives in retirement in Michigan. I was telling her all about the coverage those Militia Morons are getting on the East Coast. Apparently they could not keep a secret a secret. Sounds like every body and their cousin knew about them and what they were planning. Subterfuge, anyone?
One thing might be worth knowing about Michigan. Hemingway loved it. His family actually lived elsewhere but preferred to summer in Michigan. I am of the mind that Hemingway based some of his fictional characters on real ones he met in that state even way back when.
28thatotherjean @23 That is an unhistorical view of militias which were, at their best, boozy boys’ social clubs. Their real purpose was to shoot workers when employers demanded it.
That stopped when Gov. Frank Murphy turned down the automakers who wanted him to use the Michigan National Guard to slaughter the sit-down strikers.
That cost Murphy his political career but Roosevelt appointed him to the Supreme Court.
Michigan has been a sick state for a long time.
29@MICR And don’t forget the intro, when the AG listed (Longly) all the cities, towns, and burgs visited during the investigation. I could actually hear all the meejits soiling their drawers during that recitation. They’re paranoids to begin with. This reading was a masterstroke. Well done, MI.
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