Trump Pardons: MSU expert on possible pardons of men who plotted to kidnap Gov. Whitmer

President Trump considers pardoning Whitmer kidnap plotters
Trump teased the idea for the first time on Wednesday, mentioning it at a press conference in the Oval Office after being asked by a reporter. The President said, "I'm going to take a look at it," referring to the federal convictions.
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - President Donald Trump may use his pardoning power to possibly free the two men who led the plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
What they're saying:
Trump teased the idea for the first time on Wednesday, mentioning it at a press conference in the Oval Office after being asked by a reporter.
The President said, "I'm going to take a look at it," referring to the federal convictions.
"This didn’t come out of nowhere," Trump said, referring to the new appointee in charge of reviewing presidential pardon cases with the Department of Justice, who was already looking at the federal cases against Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox.
The backstory:
Both men were convicted and sentenced on conspiracy charges for a foiled plot to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home up north, which they allegedly planned in response to pandemic lockdown rules.
Croft Jr. was sentenced to 19 years in prison, and Fox was sentenced to 16 years.
Dig deeper:
Professor of Law at Michigan State University, Brian Kalt, spoke to FOX 2 about the President's pardoning power.
"The pardon power is the most sort of kingly of all the powers that the President has," he said. "The process is really just the president signs a piece of paper and the person is pardoned."
It usually comes with a recommendation from the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
"There is a pattern emerging where President Trump is pardoning people who he perceives as being the victim of politically motivated prosecutions," Kalt said.
For example, people were pardoned for their role in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
There were seven other men affiliated with the group ‘Wolverine Watchmen’ who pleaded guilty or were convicted on charges connected to the governor kidnapping plot.
Those were state charges, so they would not be eligible for a pardon.
"The run-of-the-mill pardons are for guilty people who are being forgiven, but the President does have that power to use it to say you did nothing wrong," Kalt said.
The other side:
The attorneys for Croft Jr. and Fox made no comment when FOX 2 reached out to them.
They said it was too early in the process to say anything.
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Trump to consider pardons for Whitmer kidnap conspiracy conviction 'railroad job'
Trump said he would look at the convictions in the case, adding that "some people said some stupid things."