Gov. Whitmer says she has 'always felt safe' but doubles down on charges that extremists are 'finding comfort' in Republican rhetoric

• Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer doubled down on her belief that extremist groups are emboldened by divisive rhetoric, specifically from Republicans.
• These groups, she said in an interview with "Face The Nation" on CBS Sunday, "are finding comfort and support in the rhetoric coming out of Republican leadership."
• This past week, federal prosecutors charged six men for plotting to kidnap Whitmer and seven other men for terrorism-related crimes.

Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer doubled down on her claims that Republican leaders are galvanizing extremist groups.

Whitmer was a target of a failed kidnapping plot by at least six men who had ties to the militant "boogaloo" movement that allegedly urged its members to conduct surveillance on the governor's private home.

"I have always felt safe," Whitmer said in a Sunday interview with "Face The Nation" on CBS. "But I do believe that there are still serious threats that groups like this group, these domestic terrorists, are finding comfort and support in the rhetoric coming out of Republican leadership from the White House to the State House," she added. "So I remain concerned about safety and integrity going into this election"

This past week, federal prosecutors charged six men for plotting to kidnap Whitmer and seven other men for terrorism-related crimes. Whitmer stated in a press conference and an op-ed that Trump is "complicit" in the extremist violence, pointing out that "when our leaders encourage domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions."

Many protesters in Michigan expressed anger at Whitmer for carrying out a statewide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Several of these men charged, who have also been linked to several extremist groups, were also involved with the anti-lockdown protests, the Michigan Attorney General stated in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday.

"Whether people support me politically or they supported my opponent in the last election, my job as governor is to make sure that Michigan is a place where we are saving lives or following the science," Whitmer told CBS on Sunday.

• Read more:
• Gretchen Whitmer, who was at the center of a failed kidnapping plot, says Trump encourages domestic terrorists by legitimizing their actions
• Suspects in Michigan plot hid their cellphones in a box to be safe but failed to check one another for wires, FBI says
• Suspects accused of targeting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have a history of ties to self-styled militias. Here's what you need to know about these extremist groups.
• Armed right-wing militia hatched a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan and violently overthrow the state government, the FBI says