VA Governor Mentioned As Target In Kidnapping Plot Testimony

RICHMOND, VA — Gov. Ralph Northam has been mentioned as a possible target in a federal court hearing on Tuesday for the men accused in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Richard Trask, a special agent with the FBI, said Northam had also been discussed by a group of men accused of plotting to kidnap and potentially murder Whitmer, the Associated Press reported. The men accused in the plot discussed "taking out" Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, according to testimony provided by the FBI agent on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Federal authorities became aware of the conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer in early 2020 through social media, according to the records. The involved group called itself the "Wolverine Watchmen."

Northam addressed the investigation in a news conference on Tuesday and said there is no imminent danger to himself or his family. While he declined to comment on the FBI's ongoing criminal investigation, he said First Lady Pamela Northam and himself remain safe due to measures from the executive protective unit. The unit is made up of an "extensively trained" team of Virginia State Police personnel and Virginia Division of Capitol Police, according to the governor.

"All threats are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by those law enforcement agencies," he said.

Northam said he won't be intimidated by the threats, adding that he hadn't been intimidated by being in harm's way during his eight years of military service.

"I will not work under a cloud of intimidation. That's not who I am. I was elected to serve the commonwealth of Virginia, and that's what I plan to do," said Northam.

However, Northam said he was concerned that rhetoric about elected officials is "coming from Washington." The governor cited one example of "mixed messages coming out of Washington" related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19, President Donald Trump tweeted a call to "liberate Virginia." Virginia had been one state with protests against the governor's coronavirus-related closure orders.

"Not everything we do is agreeable to all Virginians," said Northam. "But when language is used such as to 'liberate Virginia' people, they find meaning in those words and thus these things happen and that's regrettable."

The federal court hearing on Tuesday is to determine if three of 13 people accused in the plot against Whitmer should be released on bond, according to federal court documents.

Information and reporting from The Associated Press and Patch editor Joey Oliver contributed to this report.