Podcast explores Whitmer kidnap plot

A new true-crime podcast examines the 2020 plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, backed with three years of reporting and "hundreds of hours of never-before-heard audio ."

The big picture: Hosted by journalists Ken Bensinger and Jessica Garrison, " The Michigan Plot " centers on one big question: Did this group of men devise an organized, credible plot, or were they disorganized stoners who were egged on by informants?

State of play: Through in-depth interviews and FBI informant recordings, the reporters go deep into the lives of far-right Wolverine Watchmen militia members who were involved.

• The seven-part series' final episode was released this month.

Catch up quick: The convicted leaders of the plot to abduct Whitmer from her vacation home near Elk Rapids got 19 and 16 years in prison in 2022. The prosecution called it "domestic terrorism."

• A total of 14 people were charged in the scheme.
• After the plot was thwarted, the governor said former President Trump was partly responsible for not condemning extremist groups and for encouraging protests in Michigan at the time.

💭 Annalise's thought bubble: I binged "The Michigan Plot" over a weekend road trip. It shows how this case exemplifies — and complicates — the current political climate. It posits a theory of what happened, but ultimately lets listeners interpret the facts for themselves.

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