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Tag: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

  • Ohioan reports being recruited for plot targeting Gov. DeWine at his home

    Ohioan reports being recruited for plot targeting Gov. DeWine at his home

    By Tyler Buchanan – October 23, 2020 for Ohio Capital News

    –

    Piqua, Ohio – A Miami County resident reported to police being recruited to take part in a citizen’s arrest of Gov. Mike DeWine at his Cedarville home a week ago, but the plot evidently never materialized.

    The plot is alleged to have involved Renea Turner, a former write-in candidate for governor who ran against DeWine in 2018. A state representative says he recently met with Turner prior to the alleged call and she inquired about the governor’s home, the Ohio Capital Journal has learned. 

    The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which handles security for the governor and his residences, was notified of the report by local law enforcement and is investigating. 

    At a press conference Friday afternoon to discuss allocation of CARES Act funding in Ohio, DeWine told reporters he was unaware of the alleged plot and had not been briefed on it to that point.

    This report to police came just a week after 13 men were arrested for reportedly planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and it follows months of protests against DeWine and state health officials. 

    According to a Piqua Police Department report from Oct. 16, a citizen told an officer about being called earlier that morning by Turner, a Springfield native who is an outspoken critic of DeWine. Turner reportedly asked if they wanted to take part in an attempt to arrest the governor at his home later that weekend and try him for allegations of tyranny.

    The Ohio Capital Journal initially declined to identify Turner as the alleged caller, as law enforcement would not confirm if she had been under investigation or charged with a crime and she could not be reached by the Ohio Capital Journal for comment.

    The Ohio State Highway Patrol has been made aware of the police report but would not say if an investigation has been launched.

    Since the original publication of this story, Turner has spoken on the record with cleveland.com about the call, which she confirmed took place. She told the outlet that she did speak to the Miami County person about placing DeWine under house arrest, but reportedly denied discussing any specific plans. 

    The Capital Journal is not identifying the person who reported the incident to police after the person asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, having already followed up with Piqua law enforcement about a threat made against them online.

    The person who reported the call told Ohio Capital News that the plot stemmed from anger toward the governor’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The person said they too are a critic of DeWine and claimed to have recently filed a citizen affidavit seeking criminal charges against the governor. State Rep. John Becker, R-Union Twp., who has led an impeachment effort against DeWine in the Statehouse, has urged Ohioans to submit such affidavits about the governor.

    “Do I think (DeWine) needs to be arrested? Absolutely,” the person said. “But all that needs to happen within the confines of the law.”

    They claimed they were initially excited when receiving the call last Friday, thinking the conversation would be about the ongoing search from DeWine critics to find a prosecutor willing to bring charges against him.

    “(The caller) said ‘no, we the people, we’re going to arrest him,’” the source said.

    According to this person, the caller described several supposed penalties for a citizen’s trial on tyranny — permanent exile or execution.

    According to this person, the caller described several supposed penalties for a citizen’s trial on tyranny — permanent exile or execution.

    Soon after the call, they decided to contact the police.

    “If I don’t do something about this and something happens, I’m either legally culpable or at least I’m going to feel bad,” they said. “Not that I have any love lost between me and Gov. Mike DeWine. Again, I think he needs to be in prison. But again, if (the caller) had done something … I would have felt ethically responsible, right?”

    State legislator says Turner recently asked about DeWine’s home in private chat

    Becker told the Capital Journal he met with Turner a few weeks ago in Columbus at her request to speak about theoretical criminal charges against the governor. While his focus has been on locating a willing prosecutor, he said Turner spoke about finding a county sheriff to make the arrest.

    “I just kind of shrugged my shoulders and said, ‘good luck with that,’” Becker recalled.

    Then came an unusual change in subject: Turner wanted to know more about the governor’s residence in Cedarville. Becker said Turner asked whether the personal residence constituted public property during DeWine’s term as governor.

    “It was kind of a strange question,” Becker said.

    John Becker aided Turner by providing information about DeWine’s residence and if it constituted public property.

    After the conversation ended, Becker asked Turner’s question to the Legislative Service Commission, a nonpartisan group which gives private law research to lawmakers. He learned the home remains a private residence, and passed that information along to her.

    Becker did not hear again from Turner after that. Earlier this week, he heard from the Miami County resident about the alleged plot. The person told him about Turner and Becker recognized her name from their recent meeting.

    Becker said he informed the Statehouse’s sergeant at arms about the situation when returning to work earlier this week. He later posted a YouTube video about the incident, referring to the person who reported the call to police as a “hero.”

    Becker confirmed to the Capital Journal he was contacted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Friday. The lawmaker said he described to the Patrol his interactions with Turner and the Miami County resident.

    Piqua Police Chief Rick Byron told the Capital Journal on Thursday the citizen’s report was turned over to the Patrol.

    “At this point, we have not followed up with them and have no plans to do so,” Byron said, noting the alleged caller is not from Piqua and therefore his department does not have jurisdiction. “We’re pretty confident that (the Patrol is) going to handle this situation.”

    Dan Tierney, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, referred questions about the situation to the Patrol.

    In a brief statement on Thursday, Lt. Tiffany Meeks told the Capital Journal: “For security, the Patrol does not discuss threats or security operations involving the governor.” The Patrol later confirmed to the Dayton Daily News it was “currently investigating the incident.”

    Cleveland.com quoted Turner on Friday as saying officials with the Patrol came to her home that morning “to check out my temperament and what my plans are.”

    Since the report was made on Oct. 16, the governor has hosted three press conferences at his Cedarville home: his traditional virus-related updates on Oct. 20 and 22, and the CARES Act press conference with legislative leaders on Friday.

    After this story was first published, reporters asked DeWine during his CARES Act press conference about his reaction to the alleged plot.

    “I don’t know the details of the so-called plan,” he said. “I can’t really comment on that.”

    Asked if he was shocked to learn about such a plot, DeWine answered: “No. I’m not shocked by it. At this point in my life, not much shocks me anymore. It’s a sad thing.”

    This is the latest in a series of alleged plots targeting political leaders in 2020 for their responses to the pandemic. In Michigan, state and federal law enforcement foiled a plot to kidnap and try Gov. Whitmer, with seven of the men being charged under the state’s anti-terrorism law. 

    Police in that case have alleged the Whitmer plot was hatched in a meeting held in Dublin, Ohio this summer. The same groupof men also hoped to target Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. 

    There is no known connection between these plots and the one reported in Piqua.

    Turner is former governor candidate

    Turner, of Springfield in Clark County, campaigned for governor as a write-in candidate in 2018. 

    Turner encountered DeWine on the campaign trail, later posting a picture of themselves together to social media. A post on her Facebook page claims she pretended to be a supporter of DeWine’s, then told him after the picture was taken she was actually campaigning against him.

    Turner received 185 votes in the 2018 general election, including one from the person who later reported her call to Piqua police. 

    Turner has shared several posts from state Rep. Nino Vitale, R-Urbana, who has made headlines throughout 2020 for posting falsehoods about the virus — such as an April claim that it may have been created by Bill Gates. 

    Turner received 128 more votes as a write-in candidate for Springfield mayor in 2019 before turning her attention back to DeWine amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

    Her social media pages are littered with conspiracy theories involving the virus, government microchips and vaccine mandates. Many of the posts have been flagged by Facebook as spreading misinformation.

    Turner has shared several posts from state Rep. Nino Vitale, R-Urbana, who has made headlines throughout 2020 for posting falsehoods about the virus — such as an April claim that it may have been created by Bill Gates. 

    Turner shared one post by Vitale from May 18, in which he accused DeWine of “giving himself total dictatorial power.” Vitale also falsely suggested the governor knew about the virus in March 2019, many months before the novel coronavirus was ever discovered. 

    In July, Turner posted photos of herself protesting health orders at the Ohio Statehouse with a signs referring to the governor as Hitler. 

    Turner took to the Statehouse again on Thursday, proclaiming she had removed the governor from office through a self-issued declaration. A video shared to Facebook shows Turner taking an oath of office, with a signed sheet of paper claiming her to be the next governor of Ohio. 

    Turner did not address the Thursday incident in her interview with cleveland.com.

    ‘It’s wrong morally, it’s wrong legally’

    DeWine reiterated on Friday that the plot against Whitmer was “despicable” and added he denounced any effort by people to subvert the legal system and target public officials.

    “We are seeing people out there who believe that,” the governor said. “We have an obligation, each one of us as elected officials, opinion leaders, to denounce that and say ‘that is wrong.’ It’s wrong morally, it’s wrong legally, it’s anti-democratic, it’s anti-everything this country stands for.”

    While DeWine has enjoyed widespread, bipartisan support throughout 2020 for his response to the pandemic, his administration has also been the subject of intense condemnation. Four legislators have endorsed his impeachment, and dozens of others have supported various bills seeking to limit the executive’s power to handle an infectious disease.

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in a Zoom call with reporters in August outside his Cedarville home. Screenshot by Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal.

    Repeated protests at the Statehouse led DeWine to move his press conferences from Capitol Square to a government building elsewhere due to “security reasons,” WKYC reported in April.

    That same month, Cleveland.com reported that Ohioans protesting the state’s public health orders were seen “driving by DeWine’s Greene County house, filming it and counting cars.” The outlet quoted a DeWine spokesperson as saying security officials were aware of this surveillance but could not comment further.

    In May, protesters repeatedly targeted the home of Dr. Amy Acton, who was then serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health. There were reports that some of the protesters were armed with guns, and one person was photographed carrying an anti-Semitic sign. Not long after, Acton resigned as state health director.

    In May, protesters repeatedly targeted the home of Dr. Amy Acton, who was then serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health. There were reports that some of the protesters were armed with guns, and one person was photographed carrying an anti-Semitic sign. Not long after, Acton resigned as state health director.

    The state has been without a permanent health director in the months since. A replacement was announced in September, but the person selected withdrew from consideration after learning of the harassment leveled against Acton. The Ohio Department of Health continues to be led by an interim director.

    Also in May, Democratic House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes reported a phone call to police threatening to kill her father, state Sen. Vernon Sykes, if she did not “step aside” politically.

    (This story was edited by Loveland Magazine)

    Tyler Buchanan

    Tyler Buchanan is an award-winning journalist who has covered Ohio politics and government for the past decade. A Bellevue native and graduate of Bowling Green State University, he most recently spent 6 1/2 years as a reporter and editor of The Athens Messenger and Vinton-Jackson Courier newspapers. He is a member of the BG News Alumni Society Board and was a 2019 fellow in the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism.
  • Plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor started in a ritzy Columbus suburb, prosecutors say

    Plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor started in a ritzy Columbus suburb, prosecutors say

    A man protesting Ohio’s health orders at the state Capitol on May 1. Gov. Mike DeWine later repealed most of them only to start reimposing orders on Tuesday as coronavirus cases continued to surge. Capital Journal photo by Marty Schladen

    by Jake Zuckerman and the Ohio Capital Journal

    This summer, a cabal of a least 15 extremists meeting in Dublin, Ohio began crafting a violent plan to “storm” the Michigan state Capitol and kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, law enforcement officials say.

    Six men were federally charged with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer, and another seven were charged with violations of Michigan’s anti-terrorism laws connected to alleged involvement with the “Wolverine Watchmen” militia group.

    Jake ZuckermanJake Zuckerman is a statehouse reporter. He spent three years chronicling the West Virginia Legislature for The Charleston Gazette-Mail after covering cops and courts for The Northern Virginia Daily.

    The federal allegation, unsealed Thursday morning, details plans of armed assaults on the Michigan State Police, construction of improvised explosive devices, covert meetings held in a Grand Rapids basement accessible by secret trap door, nighttime surveillance of Whitmer’s home, and quasi-military “field training exercises” to prepare for an abduction sometime before the November elections.

    “When the time comes, there will be no need to try and strike fear through presence,” Brandon Caserta said Sept. 17, according to prosecutors, opting against attending an armed protest at the State Capitol. “The fear will be manifested through bullets.”

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said to reporters Thursday the group crafted “elaborate plans” that posed a “serious and credible threat to public safety.”

    What brought the men to two meetings in central Ohio is unclear: The suspects are all from Michigan and Delaware.

    However, the charging document states one paid informant assisted the FBI and secretly recorded the meetings in Dublin on June 6 and July 18. No threats were reported against Ohio government.

    At the first meeting, Michigan man Adam Fox and Delaware man Barry Croft huddled for a meeting at an undisclosed Dublin location with 13 other people, including a confidential informant.

    They discussed creating a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights where they could be “self-sufficient.” They discussed “state governments” they believed violated the U.S. Constitution, and specifically mentioned Whitmer.

    They also discussed murdering “tyrants” or “taking” a sitting governor. Fox then reached out to a “Michigan based militia group.” The charging document does not identify the group, though Nessel said affiliates of the “Wolverine Watchmen” were charged.

    Fox, working with Croft, met members of the militia group several times in June, including at a Second Amendment rally in Lansing. He later described the Dublin meeting and said he would need 200 men to storm the Capitol to abduct Whitmer.

    “Fox explained they would try the Governor of Michigan for ‘treason’ and he said they would execute the plan before the November 2020 elections,” the charging document states.

    The alleged conspirators engaged in “field training exercises” in rural Michigan including firearms training and combat drills, and unsuccessfully attempted to construct two improvised explosive devices.

    On July 18, the men again met, secretly recorded by an informant, in Ohio. They discussed attacking a Michigan State Police facility and floated the idea of shooting up Whitmer’s vacation home. They eventually settled on kidnapping.

    “Snatch and grab, man,” Fox allegedly said. “Grab the fuckin’ governor. Just grab the bitch. Because at that point, we do that, dude — it’s over.”

    Prosecutors detailed two episodes of “surveillance” of Whitmer’s home and determined the conspirators considered demolishing a bridge to stave off a police response. An informant provided the FBI with a map of the lake near Whitmer’s home, distance from nearest police departments and estimated response time.

    By mid-September, the men successfully detonated an explosive device at a field training exercise.

    “I can see several states takin’ their fuckin’ tyrants,” Fox allegedly said. “Everybody takes their tyrants.”

    The allegations come amid a time of unprecedented unrest and instability in the U.S., likely a combination of a pandemic, perceived overreach when governments responded, racial unrest, economic devastation of the pandemic, and extremism proliferating on various social media platforms.

    Whitmer attracted national attention during the spring and summer for a forceful response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also drew ire from libertarian and small-government groups for what they saw as overly heavy-handed stay-at-home orders and mask mandates.

    In May, hundreds of protesters, many of whom were armed, stormed the Michigan Capitol. President Donald Trump only accelerated instability, calling for Whitmer to “LIBERATE MICHIGAN.”

    Political demonstrations this summer have consistently featured armed demonstrators and counter-demonstrators. In Ohio, a violent, self-described neo-Nazi wielded an anti-Semitic sign at a coronavirus protest. Another anti-Semitic sign appeared at a protest outside the home of Ohio’s health director, who is Jewish. She resigned in June.

    Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a threat assessment warning of increased extremism in the country.

    “The domestic situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic creates an environment that could accelerate some individuals’ mobilization to targeted violence or radicalization to terrorism. Social distancing may lead to social isolation, which is associated with depression, increased anxiety, and social alienation, the assessment states.

    “Similarly, work disruptions, including unexpected unemployment and layoffs, can also increase risk factors associated with radicalization to violence and willingness to engage in acts of targeted violence.”