Militia Member Who Plotted to Kidnap Gov. Whitmer Reportedly Called Trump an ‘Enemy’ and ‘Tyrant’ in Videos
An anarchist who allegedly plotted to kidnap and potentially kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) previously referred to President Donald Trump as an “enemy” and a “tyrant,” according to old recordings reportedly posted to YouTube.
“Trump is not your friend, dude. And it amazes me that people actually believe that when he’s shown over and over and over again that he’s a tyrant,” the man, Brandon Caserta, said in a video. “Every single person that works for government is your enemy, dude. ”
The video was first shared on social media by Robby Starbuck. The Justice Department announced Thursday it had arrested Caserta and five other men on a litany of federal charges related to domestic terrorism for plotting to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home. Seven others were arrested on state charges.
Wow! This is big. Brandon Caserta, one of the ringleaders of the group of men arrested for a plot where the group planned to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hated President Trump too!
“Trump is not your friend dude”
He says that Trump is “a tyrant” and describes him as an “enemy”. pic.twitter.com/SgaGOW8cS5
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) October 8, 2020
All 13 men reportedly identify as members of a Michigan-based militia group known as the Wolverine Watchmen. A website for the organization had stopped working as of Thursday afternoon.
Caserta previously appeared in footage posted on YouTube and on the video-sharing platform TikTok in which he expressed his opinions on government while displaying paraphernalia associated with violent movements, including an anarchist flag and a Hawaiian shirt. The latter is associated with the Boogaloo movement, another group credited with violence over the summer.
“They keep robbing us and keep controlling us,” Caserta said in another video, referring to the government. “That’s where the problem is at. It isn’t with you and me. It’s with these people, these politicians, that keep robbing us and taking our money”
Wolverine Watchmen cofounder Peter Musico, who was also arrested this week, posted similar footage in which he shared his grievances about government and the police.
“I’ve watched too many cop cars fly by people that are broken down on the side of the road,” Musico said in one video. “That is not protecting and serving. It looks to me like the police departments have gone to harassing and collecting. I see LivePD every day busting up people’s Fourth Amendment rights and nobody standing up for it. And when they do stand up for it, they get thrown in jail.”
Whitmer suggested Thursday the group was associated with right-wing violence and blamed the president for motivating the men.
“When our leaders speak, their words matter,” Whitmer said. “They carry weight. When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions, and they are complicit. When they stoke and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit.”
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