What the Plot Against Michigan Governor Whitmer Says About Misogyny in America

Last week, a jury in Michigan acquitted two men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the judge called a mistrial for two others about whom the jury could not come to a decision. The four were among 13 men, associated with an extremely well-armed militia called the Wolverine Watchmen, charged in state and federal courts with various crimes related to the plot. Two already pled guilty, and another six await trial in state courts.

Most Americans who pay even a minimal amount of attention to the news are probably at least dimly aware of this simultaneously ridiculous and sinister case. The men were arrested in the last, tense weeks before the 2020 election, as fears of political violence were about to be realized.