Trump senior campaign adviser Jason Miller blasted Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer—a target of a recent kidnapping plan by extremist militia members—shortly after her Thursday afternoon press conference discussing the foiled plot, claiming she has “hatred in her heart” towards President Donald Trump.
Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday that six men were arrested and charged for allegedly plotting with a violent extremist group to kidnap Whitmer and overthrow the government. “Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor,” an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit. “The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message.”
During her afternoon presser, Whitmer took aim at the president’s heated rhetoric and sympathetic comments towards far-right extremists, claiming he was “stoking distrust” and energizing hate groups and white nationalists.
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The president has also repeatedly lobbed attacks at Whitmer, specifically over her coronavirus restriction orders and guidelines. When armed right-wing militias—following Trump’s call to “LIBERATE MICHIGAN”—essentially occupied the state’s capitol, the president called on Whitmer to meet with them and “make a deal.”
“Just last week the president of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups. Stand back and stand by, he told them,” she declared. “Stand back and stand by. Hate groups heard the president's words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry, as a call to action.”
Immediately following the press conference, Miller was interviewed on Fox News and promptly said that it was a “horrendous thing” for any elected official to be targeted by a crime of this nature.
“I’m happy we have such good law enforcement. We stand by the law enforcement and all of the investigators to make sure that they are able to stop things like this,” he added before pivoting to Whitmer’s stern rebuke of Trump.
“These are some pretty shameful comments here from Governor Whitmer, because how can you even go from a moment of unity to attacking President Trump, I thought was just completely ridiculous,” he exclaimed. “If we want to talk about hatred—then Governor Whitmer, go look in the mirror! I mean, the fact that she wakes up every day with such hatred in her heart towards President Trump.”
“President Trump is the one out there condemning these radical groups whether they be on the right or be on the left,” he continued. “We saw two weeks ago when he was in Atlanta introducing his platinum plan as his contract with Black America where he labeled both the KKK and antifa terrorist groups. We saw him do it again last week when he was on Sean Hannity’s show, so President Trump has been leading from the front.”
Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer didn’t react to Miller’s remarks, instead asking him to respond to the charges filed against the militia group and other issues Whitmer discussed.
“We are all united, standing against anyone who would conspire to cause such hatred and violence,” Miller stated. “There is no place for that in American society in any way, shape, or form.”
“But why Governor Whitmer would go and start attacking President Trump, this is just—people can see right through it,” he added. “They can see that Governor Whitmer is a complete phony and it is just disgusting that she would take a moment of unity to attack the president.”
Turning his attention to the president pulling out of the next debate, Hemmer merely noted: “Let’s see where that goes.”
