Photo: Alamy
Michigan jurors on Friday acquitted two of the four defendants charged with a conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).
According to a report from NBC 25 News, the verdicts were read to the four defendants, all men – Barry Croft Jr., Adam Fox, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta.
Of the four, only Daniel Harris and Caserta were acquitted, while the jury could not reach a consensus for a verdict on Fox and Croft.
The case, which has garnered national attention from the mainstream media, is impactful because the defense attorneys argued that FBI undercover agents manipulated the four defendants into discussions regarding a conspiracy to kidnap Gov. Whitmer.
According to The Guardian, a mistrial has been declared for the remaining two defendants because of the juror deadlock. Prosecutors have promised to attempt to retry both Fox and Croft.
Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, called for accountability for the media and FBI.
Jack Posobiec, conservative commentator and host of Human Events, commented on Twitter that the case potentially pointed to a breakdown in civilian trust in the FBI.
He commented, “Conditioning status = breaking,” referring to the suspicion that has been cast on FBI infiltration into the civilian level. This is a phenomenon that has continued to grow since the debacle at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to a recording released by Project Veritas, national security correspondent for the New York Times, Matthew Rosenberg, stated, “There were a ton of FBI informants amongst the people,” in Jan. 2021.
Interestingly, it appears that the FBI’s involvement in potentially setting up conversations in the conspiracy to kidnap Gov. Whitmer may have been a sticking point for jurors in Michigan. It remains to be seen if another trial for Fox and Croft will move forward.