GRAND RAPIDS, MI (AP)— That a jury didn't convict any of the four men charged with planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is further evidence of the political polarization in the U.S.
A defense lawyer for one of the men says it shows freedom still exists, and that the men's actions were nothing more than “rough talk.” But to others, Friday’s outcome following a weeks-long trial was a chilling example of the kind of political violence that is raging across the country, too often unpunished. They say people are increasingly angry, and they feel emboldened to act on it.
Two men were acquitted for their role in the alleged 2020 plot, while the jury couldn't agree on charges against two other men. They may be retried.
