DETROIT – President Donald Trump said he will consider pardoning the men who plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Trump was asked about the case on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
“I’m going to look at it,” Trump said. “I will take a look at it. It’s been brought to my attention. I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I’ll be honest with you. It looked to me like some people said some stupid things. They were drinking and I think they said stupid things. But I’ll take a look at that, and a lot of people are asking me that question from both sides, actually. A lot of people think they got railroaded. A lot of people think they got railroaded, and probably some people don’t.”
The U.S. Justice Department’s new pardon attorney said last week that he is going to take a “hard look” at two men who are serving long prison terms in this case: Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox
“On the pardon front, we can’t leave these guys behind,” Ed Martin Jr. said on “The Breanna Morello Show.”
Croft and Fox were portrayed as leaders of the scheme. They were convicted of conspiracy in federal court in 2022. Croft, a trucker from Delaware, was also found guilty of a weapons charge.
Croft was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison, while Fox got a 16-year term. They are being held at a prison in Colorado -- the most secure in the federal system.
Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison, and Pete Musico were convicted in 2022 on one count of providing material support for terrorism, one count of gang membership, and one felony firearm violation.
Recently, Bellar and Morrison filed motions for a new trial, and Musico filed a motion for reconsideration after his new trial and resentencing were denied.
A judge denied all of those requests.
“Public officials must be able to carry out their duties without fearing for their lives,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said at the time.