Michigan AG condemns reversal of conviction related to Whitmer kidnap plot

(LANSING, Mich.) — Michigan’s attorney general condemned a decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals reversing the conviction of a man who allegedly provided support for a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

The court overturned the conviction of Joseph Morrison on Tuesday, saying in part that kidnapping was not considered a violent felony in this case. 

“This ruling is completely and irredeemably nonsensical, outrageous and irresponsible,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “For the panel to declare that kidnapping is not a violent felony strains all legal credibility and insults the intelligence of every person in this State.”

Nessel said her office would appeal the ruling, calling it a “preposterous decision.”

Morrison was one of several members of a militia who were convicted in October 2022 for providing material support of a terrorist act, as well as charges related to firearms and membership in a gang. The charge of support for a terrorist act carried a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Whitmer’s chief of staff, JoAnne Huls, also reportedly criticized the ruling, said the decision “doesn’t change the underlying facts: Joseph Morrison and other men supported an effort to kidnap and murder Governor Whitmer.”

“They committed crimes, and they must be held accountable,” Huls told ABC News in a statement. “Releasing them poses a danger to the public and letting them walk is a threat to our democracy. We do not agree with today’s decision, which invites a culture of fear and violence in Michigan and the country.”

“When radical extremists like Joseph Morrison can commit crimes and then walk free, it sends an alarming message and condones political violence. Today’s decision may dissuade people from making their voices heard, running for office, and more,” Huls said.

Huls acknowledged the work of prosecutors and law enforcement in the case and said Whitmer “will keep working tirelessly to make a difference for Michiganders.”

The attorney general’s office, in its statement, said the decision to overturn the conviction amounted to an effort by the court to twist “itself into a knot using legal and linguistic gymnastics in order to liberate dangerous criminals using convoluted definitions of the crimes upon which they were convicted.”

Morrison was part of a militia group known as the Wolverine Watchmen, which took part in armed protests at the Michigan state capitol, largely over Whitmer’s strict COVID-19 shutdown rules. He was among several Watchmen members who were photographed at the Capitol, holding rifles, outside Whitmer’s office, during one of those protests in April 2020.

A member of the group eventually turned into a confidential informant in March 2020 after talks turned to harming law enforcement and eventually public officials. 

Fourteen members of the self-styled militia were arrested in October 2020, and news of the plot to kidnap Whitmer emerged.

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