The much-anticipated appeal hearing was held Thursday for Barry Croft and Adam Fox, the alleged "Ringleaders" of the 2020 militia conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Thursday's hearing focused largely on the conduct of FBI informants and their handling agents.
Croft's attorney, Timothy Sweeney, argued that his client should get a retrial because he wasn't allowed to introduce numerous text messages that showed improper conduct by the FBI. Those text messages showed how FBI informants were pressuring Fox and Croft to formulate a plan against Whitmer.
Representing the government, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler argued that the FBI text messages were irrelevant because Fox and Croft were already predisposed to committing an act of terrorism.
"They're saying the jury didn't see all the pressure, all the government informants pounding on them. Surely that's relevant?" the justice asked Kessler, to which he responded: "Theoretically, yes, but they don't identify any statements where an informant actually put that kind of pressure to go kidnap the governor." The justices then identified several statements where informants pressured the defendants to move forward with a plot against Whitmer.
FBI informant Steve Robeson said in August 2020: "If we don't talk about actually doing what the fuck we need to be doing, I'm done with meetings." Kessler argued that Robeson was only pressuring the defendants to disclose their plan, but the appeals justice seemed to disagree.
The appeals justices presiding over the case were Judge Joan Larsen, Judge Chad Readler, and Judge Stephanie Davis.
https://headlineusa.com/appeals-court-hammers-prosecution-about-fbi-conduct-in-whitmer-kidnap-plot/
No comments:
Post a Comment