FILE – This combination of photographs provided by the Kent County Sheriff and the Delaware Department of Justice shows Brandon Caserta and Barry Croft in the upper left row. and bottom row from left, Adam Dean Fox and Daniel Harris. The four members of the anti-government group are facing trial in March 2022 with federal charges accusing them of plotting to oust Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s abduction in 2020. Selection of jurors begins Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in a trial presided over by the presiding judge. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Grand Rapids, Mich., Said it could take more than a month. (Kent County Sheriff, Delaware Department of Justice via AP file) 1 of 3 FILE – This combination of photographs provided by the Kent County Sheriff and the Delaware Department of Justice shows Brandon Caserta and Barry Croft in the upper left row. and bottom row from left, Adam Dean Fox and Daniel Harris. The four members of the anti-government group are facing trial in March 2022 with federal charges accusing them of plotting to oust Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s abduction in 2020. Selection of jurors begins Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in a trial presided over by the presiding judge. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Grand Rapids, Mich., Said it could take more than a month. (Kent County Sheriff, Delaware Department of Justice via AP file) Four men accused of plotting to abduct Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have to decide whether to testify in their own defense as the trial progresses to the finish line. “It’s time to fish or cut the bait,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said Wednesday after prosecutors closed their case on the 13th day. Daniel Harris will probably be the first to express his intentions when the trial continues on Thursday in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His lawyer, Julia Kelly, was the first defense attorney to call witnesses. Harris, Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr. and Brandon Caserta are accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer at her North Michigan vacation home in the fall of 2020 because of their disgust with the government and harsh restrictions on COVID. Prosecutors have leaked information from social media posts and messaging apps, as well as audio and video secretly recorded by FBI agents and informants. In addition, two men on the group, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, pleaded guilty and were vital witnesses for the government. Defense attorneys claim the men engaged in a lot of crazy conversations fueled by agents and informants but not a conspiracy. The first defense witness, Colleen Kuester from Baraboo, Wisconsin, said she was invited by an acquaintance to a “family fun day” in Cambria, Wisconsin, in July 2020. Cambria was a training ground for the team and more. self-proclaimed members of the militia, according to data. Kuester said she found nothing wrong with it – just swimming, shooting and bratwurst. But U.S. Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Roth played a secretly recorded voice of men talking about making bombs. “Did you hear that in Cambria?” asked. “Absolutely not,” Kuester replied. At least five other defense witnesses bowed, saying they would claim their right to remain silent if called upon to testify. They included an informant, Steve Robeson from Oxford, Wisconsin, who changed course during the investigation and informed Croft that the FBI wanted to arrest him, according to the government. The others who invoked the Fifth Amendment had participated in training as well as discussions about the plot, but have not been charged. Croft’s longtime partner, Chastity Knight of Bear, Delaware, was among the final witnesses called by prosecutors. “He was anti-government,” the Knight of Bear, Delaware, said of Croft. “He just thought the government was not for him. The government does not help the citizens. “They like to pack their pockets.” The men were arrested in October 2020 amid talks over the acquisition of explosives that could blow up a bridge and prevent police from responding to a kidnapping at Whitmer’s second home, according to a trial. Garbin said the group acted willingly and hoped to strike before the election, cause national chaos and prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency. Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely spoke publicly about the kidnapping plan, although she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed “something out of the ordinary” when she applied for re-election on March 17. He accused former President Donald Trump of inciting anger over the coronavirus restrictions and of refusing to condemn far-right extremists such as those charged in the case. Whitmer said Trump was complicit in the January 6 Capitol uprising.

Find the full AP coverage for the Whitmer kidnapping trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial

White reported from Detroit.