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A28 u.s. news
Diabierna 9 OctOber 2020

13 charged in plots against Michigan governor, police

Whitmer, who was considered as Caserta, all of Michigan, and Barry
Joe Biden's running mate, has been Croft of Delaware. All but Croft ap-
praised but also deeply criticized peared in federal court in Grand Rap-
by the Republican-controlled Leg- ids. They asked for court-appointed
islature and conservatives areas of lawyers and were returned to jail to
the state for Michigan's response to await detention hearings Tuesday.
the coronavirus. She put major re- Fox said he needed 200 men to storm
strictions on personal movement the Capitol building in Lansing and
throughout the state and on the take hostages, including the gover-
economy, although many of those nor, according to the FBI. He said he
limits have been lifted. The governor wanted to try Whitmer for "treason"
has exchanged barbs with Trump on and would execute the plan before
social media, with the president de- the Nov. 3 election, the government
claring in April, "LIBERATE MICH- said. The group later shifted to target-
IGAN!" ing the governor's vacation home, the
He has referred to Whitmer as the FBI said.
"woman in Michigan." There's no The government said the scheme ap-
indication in the criminal complaint peared to have roots in a June gath-
that the men were inspired by Trump. ering in Dublin, Ohio, attended by
(AP) — Agents foiled a stunning plot matter. They carry weight." Authorities also have not publicly said more than a dozen people from sev-
to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. The six men charged in federal court whether the men were angry about eral states, including Croft and Fox.
Gretchen Whitmer, authorities said plotted for months, consulting and Whitmer's coronavirus orders. "The group talked about creating a
Thursday in announcing charges training with members of a group The Michigan Supreme Court last society that followed the U.S. Bill
in an alleged scheme that involved that federal authorities described as a week ruled that a 1945 law used as of Rights and where they could be
months of planning and even re- militia, and undertaking rehearsals in the foundation for many of Whit- self-sufficient," the FBI affidavit said.
hearsals to snatch her from her vaca- August and September, according to mer's orders was unconstitutional. "They discussed different ways of
tion home. an FBI affidavit. They were arrested The decision was 4-3, with justices achieving this goal from peaceful en-
Six men were charged in federal court Wednesday night and face up to life who were nominated by Republicans deavors to violent actions. ... Several
with conspiring to kidnap the gover- in prison if convicted. in the majority. members talked about murdering 'ty-
nor in reaction to what they viewed Four had planned Wednesday to meet The government said the plot against rants' or 'taking' a sitting governor."
as her "uncontrolled power," accord- to "make a payment on explosives and Whitmer was stopped with the work In a separate but related action, state
ing to a federal complaint. Separately, exchange tactical gear," the FBI said of undercover agents and informants. authorities announced terrorism-
seven others were charged in state in the court filing. Whitmer thanked law enforcement related charges against seven men
court under Michigan's anti-terror- The FBI quoted one of the accused for thwarting the alleged conspirators who were said to belong to or were
ism laws for allegedly targeting police as saying Whitmer "has no checks and and said she hopes that convictions associated with Wolverine Watch-
and seeking a "civil war." balances at all. She has uncontrolled will bring "these sick and depraved men, which was described as a militia
A few hours later, Whitmer pinned power right now. All good things men to justice." group.
some blame on President Donald must come to an end." Through electronic communica- The seven men are accused of identi-
Trump, noting that he did not con- Andrew Birge, the U.S. attorney in tions, two of the alleged conspirators fying the homes of law enforcement
demn white supremacists in last western Michigan, called the men "agreed to unite others in their cause officers and making violent threats
week's debate with Joe Biden and in- "violent extremists." and take violent action against mul- "intended to instigate a civil war," At-
stead told a far-right group to "stand "All of us in Michigan can disagree tiple state governments that they be- torney General Dana Nessel said.
back and stand by." about politics, but those disagree- lieve are violating the U.S. Constitu- They trained for an operation to at-
"Hate groups heard the president's ments should never, ever amount to tion," the FBI said. tack the Michigan Capitol and to kid-
words not as a rebuke but as a rallying violence. Violence has been prevent- The criminal complaint identified nap officials, including the governor,
cry, as a call to action," Whitmer said. ed today," Detroit U.S. Attorney Mat- the six as Adam Fox, Ty Garbin, Ka- Nessel said.
"When our leaders speak, their words thew Schneider told reporters. leb Franks, Daniel Harris, Brandon

For 3rd time, groups seek end to Trump order on House seats

(AP) — For the third time in two months, civil half dozen lawsuits were filed across the U.S., chal- The Trump administration on Wednesday asked
rights groups and state and local governments were lenging it. Hearings on the order already have been the Supreme Court to put Koh's order on hold.
asking judges to strike down a directive from Presi- held in Washington and New York, and a panel of Although the legal fights over Trump's order and
dent Donald Trump that would exclude people liv- three federal judges in New York ruled that it was when the census will end are being fought in sepa-
ing in the U.S. illegally from being counted when unlawful. The Trump administration has appealed rate court cases, opponents challenging the Trump
deciding how many congressional seats each state to the U.S. Supreme Court. administration say they are intertwined since the
gets. The New York judges didn't rule on the consti- census schedule was shortened to accommodate
The coalition of civil rights groups and state and lo- tutionality of the memorandum, merely saying it Trump's order.
cal governments called Thursday on federal judges violated federal laws on the census and apportion- Facing disruptions to field operations because of
in California to rule that Trump's order was ille- ment. That left open the door for the judges in the the pandemic, the Census Bureau proposed a new
gal, claiming it discriminates against people based other cases to rule on other aspects of the presi- timetable in April that extended the deadline for
on race, ethnicity, and national origin. They said dent's memorandum. Other lawsuits challenging finishing the count from the end of July to the end
Trump's order goes against 230 years of U.S. his- the memorandum have been filed in Maryland and of October and pushed the apportionment dead-
tory, will cause them to lose political representation Massachusetts, and a lawsuit filed two years ago in line from Dec. 31 to next April. The proposal to
and is discouraging people in the country illegally Alabama covers the same ground. extend the apportionment deadline passed the
from participating in the 2020 census. The California case was being heard virtually Democratic-controlled House, but the Republi-
Trump administration attorneys say the challenge Thursday before three district judges. They includ- can-controlled Senate didn't move on the request.
to the order is premature and should be dismissed. ed U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who last month The Republicans' inaction coincided with Trump's
The numbers used for deciding how many con- in a separate case stopped the Trump administra- order. Then, last August, Census Bureau officials
gressional seats each state gets is a process known tion from finishing the census at the of Septem- shortened the count schedule by a month so that it
as apportionment. It is derived from the once-a- ber, allowing the count to go on for another month would finish at the end of September, saying they
decade head count of every U.S. resident that is set through October. A different coalition of civil needed to do so to meet the Dec. 31 deadline.
to end at the end of the month. The census also rights groups and local governments had sued the By sticking to the Dec. 31 deadline, the apportion-
helps determine the distribution of $1.5 trillion in Trump administration for the extra time, arguing ment count would be under the control of the
federal funding annually. minorities and others in hard-to-count communi- Trump administration no matter who wins the
After Trump issued the order last July, around a ties would be missed if the counting ended early. presidential election next month.