Trump will look at pardons for men accused of plot to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer

President Donald Trump floated the possibility of pardoning two men who may have been “railroaded” in convictions over a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

While speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the president said he would “look at” issuing pardons for Barry Croft, 49, and Adam Fox, 42, who were convicted in 2022 in a second trial after the first ended in a mistrial amid much controversy over the FBI investigation.

“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,” Trump responded to a reporter’s question about the potential pardons.

Q: “Will you pardon the people who are accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer””

President Trump: “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.” pic.twitter.com/sO5dkFu5Vh

— CSPAN (@cspan) May 28, 2025

“It looked to me like some people said some stupid things, you know. They were drinking, and I think they said stupid things, but I’ll take a look at that,” the president added.

“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,” he said.

“Over a dozen people were charged in connection with the plot to kidnap Whitmer, a Democrat, though only some of them were tried in federal court and thus eligible for a pardon from Trump. A federal judge sentenced the ringleader of the group, Barry Croft Jr., to over 19 years in prison and handed Adam Fox, another key player, 16 years,” NBC News reported.

Alleged co-conspirators Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted by the same jury after their lawyers argued FBI agents had entrapped them.

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department’s new pardon attorney, Ed Martin Jr., said he would take a “hard look” at the cases.

“On the pardon front, we can’t leave these guys behind,” Martin said on “The Breanna Morello Show.”

“In my opinion, these are victims just like January 6,” he added. “I have complete confidence that we’re going to get a hard look at it. The president will want to know the facts about it.”

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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