Terrorism charges dismissed against three in Whitmer plot

[Nevilledog]

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Terrorism charges dismissed against three in Whitmer plot Judge said encrypted conversations were private thoughts. WTAF

Terrorism charges dismissed against three in Whitmer plot
A Michigan county judge on Monday dismissed the terrorism charges against three men accused in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).Jackson County Judge Michael Klaeren ruled to drop...
msn.com
11:03 AM · Mar 29, 2021

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/terrorism-charges-dismissed-against-three-in-whitmer-plot/ar-BB1f5NCx?ocid=msedgntp

Jackson County Judge Michael Klaeren ruled to drop the terrorism charges against Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico - three of the seven men charged after being linked to the militia group that allegedly planned to kidnap the governor.

"There has to be some form of intent here to incite mayhem," Klaeren said, according to The Detroit News.

The three men had been charged under the state's anti-terrorism law for plotting to kidnap Whitmer or storm the Michigan Capitol building.

The FBI had announced in October that it stopped a plan to depose Michigan's government and abduct Whitmer, charging six members of the Wolverine Watchmen in federal court.

Bellar, Morrison and Musico were among the seven charged with state crimes, along with Shawn Fix, Michael Null, William Null and Eric Molitor. In total, these seven men face 19 felony charges.

The judge cited the Wolverine Watchmen's encrypted chat conversations in his dismissal of the terrorism charges, saying talking in those encrypted groups that are not publicly available "in many respects no different than thinking the thought to yourself," according to The Detroit News.

*snip*

[soothsayer]

1. No mayhem would ensue from executing the kidnapped governor on teevee?

[triron]

2. Trumper. EOS.

[MichMan]

13. First appointed by Jennifer Granholm

[Caliman73]

3. So then people can plan crimes and attempt to carry them out, just encrypt your conversations...?

I wonder what the reasoning is in saying that chatting with other people is like thinking thoughts to yourself. I could see how online journaling could be construed this way. Writing in a blog that isn't disseminated to the public, but they were talking, to other people, who were also in on the plot, about the plot. Just because they were seen as incompetent, doesn't mean that they would not have tried to participate had it not been stopped. I assume there are a lot of technicalities that are not provided, that some attorney could parse, but it doesn't sound good on the surface.

[rampartc]

10. by this reasoning i should be able to sit with my buds in the sicilian social club

and talk in code like "wackin" the governor and it would all be good fun.

[Caliman73]

11. Seriously! WTF moment for sure.

I fully admit that I am no attorney, nor legal scholar, but I find it difficult to accept that conversations shared between people would be considered the same as thinking thoughts to yourself. I have thoughts running in my head sometimes that I know not to share with others because they would be embarrassing, incriminating, or people might think I am weird. So, those thoughts stay in my head.

[MagickMuffin]

4. And . . . . Would Judge Michael Klaeren feel the same if he was the target?

I bet he'd find a new tune to sing if he was the target.


I must say I question his Judgment as he seems he is lacking in it.

[Bristlecone]

5. Preposterous reasoning.

[crickets]

6. That's crazy.

They were involved in a plot to violently overthrow the state government. Plans included killing and kidnapping Whitmer, storming the capital, and killing whatever law enforcement showed up to stop them. So, according to this judge, conspiracy to commit a crime is okay as long as you encrypted the conversations? Yikes.

[kimbutgar]

7. Seems like the US Justice department needs to look at this case as terrorism

[Wounded Bear]

8. We really suck at handling domestic terrorism...

[superpatriotman]

9. Beat me to it

If the Feds had thought this way, encrypted communications captured from terrorism suspects would mean no more than 'daydreaming'

[gratuitous]

12. Well isn't that nice?

Gosh, how could we possibly know the intent of these nice young fellows? Only God knows what's a person's heart, and it's not up to the judge to try to out-guess God! Besides, they were doing their darnedest not to let their plans get out where someone might report them, so they were just, you know, talking to themselves. Charges dismissed.

This is some pretty screwy thinking by Judge KKKlaeren. Oops, key got stuckkk. It happens.

[dsc]

14. I can't imagine this will survive appeal

it is quite literally nuts. I mean who is going to conspire to kidnap the governor in public.