Foiled kidnapping of Michigan governor highlights preparations for election-related conflict

A season of unrest is quickly giving way to urgent preparations for possible conflict aimed at next month’s contentious election, which President Donald Trump has already repeatedly cast as illegitimate.

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials have been bracing for possible clashes at local polling places, violence and larger demonstrations similar to the summer-long social justice protests that spilled into the streets of dozens of American cities.

Across the country, authorities have been considering their role in securing an election at a time when public confidence in law enforcement has been threatened by a series of fatal shootings involving police, prompting sustained protests in Portland, Minneapolis, Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.

In an ominous warning last month, the chief of New Jersey's Homeland Security and Preparedness office called attention to a gathering storm of worries directly tied to the Nov. 3 election

"Numerous threats from domestic extremists and foreign adversaries have emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-government sentiment, nationwide civil unrest, and various forms of disinformation," Jared Maples wrote in a state threat assessment. "These threats will begin to converge with the presidential election in November in a manner not previously experienced by our nation."

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The tensions were dramatically underscored Thursday in Michigan where federal authorities announced charges against six men accused in a thwarted plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before the November election as part of plan to overthrow the state government.

"The nature of this case is rather unprecedented," said Col. Joseph Gasper, director of the Michigan State Police. "But it does send a very vivid reminder that while we maybe in a period of ... divisiveness and fighting across the nation, law enforcement stands united."

'Playing with fire'

Much of the anxiety shrouding the approaching November election has been stoked by the president himself.

For months, Trump has authored waves of unsubstantiated claims aimed at undermining confidence in the election. He has taken particular aim at the integrity of state mail-in ballot systems, which he has asserted without evidence are rife with fraud.

He has variously cast the upcoming election as "rigged," "corrupt", and "illegal."

The president's assertions have been echoed by Attorney General William Barr who stated last month in an interview with CNN that the mail-in ballot system is vulnerable to "fraud and coercion."

"This is playing with fire," Barr said.

More recently, the Justice Department amended a long-standing policy aimed at discouraging election interference, with new guidance allowing prosecutors more authority to take action on voter fraud allegations even as voting is underway.

Critics described the action as an attempt to further undermine the approaching election.

"There is simply no reason to depart from that sensible starting point that has guided federal prosecutors for years," said Miriam Aroni Krinsky, executive director of the group Fair and Just Prosecution.

This week, federal law enforcement and intelligence officials pushed back against Trump's repeated attacks, reaffirming confidence in the nation's election system.

William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said the "election system remains resilient" in a video message with directors of the FBI, National Security Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

"To be clear, it would be very difficult for adversaries to interfere with, or manipulate, voting results at scale," Evanina said, without directly referring to Trump.

But Whitmer, the target of the thwarted kidnapping plot, did not hesitate to link Trump's divisive rhetoric to fueling an atmosphere of "hatred" that have  enabled extremists like those who sought to take action against her.

Whitmer said Trump's failure to explicitly condemn white supremacists during last week's debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden effectively serves as "a rallying cry" for hate groups who have clashed repeatedly with protesters during social justice demonstrations.

The FBI, which played a central role in the Michigan kidnapping case, said the volatile environment has been a prominent feature in the preparations for safeguarding the election.

“Of course, our preparations for 2020 take into account the current climate of the country,” an FBI official said. “As always, the FBI has a responsibility to plan for a host of scenarios ... We gather and analyze intelligence to determine whether individuals might be motivated to take violent action for any reason. It is vital that the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and the public work together to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote."

The bureau also has appealed to the public to report any suspicious, election-related activity to their local FBI field offices or the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center hotline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at www.tips.fbi.gov.

Twelve-hour shifts, fear of new unrest

Much of the preparation for election-related security, however, is falling to local law enforcement.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum which recently published a report on how law enforcement agencies are preparing for possible violence, said police chiefs are cognizant of unrest that may be timed to the days immediately before or after Election Day.

Some departments, Wexler said, are already notifying officers of plans for 12-hour shifts.

“You have this environment where there’s a concern that somehow the voting process is going to be disrupted in some way, or that somehow something’s going to happen with the ballots," Wexler said. "We’ve never really faced this kind of environment. Voting has never been this much of a concern.”

Among the fears is that a police presence at polling sites, prohibited in some states, might be seen as intimidating.

“Police presence is both necessary to prevent potential incidents, but also police are careful that they don’t enter a polling place unless there’s some kind of emergency situation,” Wexler said.

In Philadelphia, where officers are not allowed to be within 100 feet of polling sites, the department is attempting to ensure that officers wear body cameras and are accompanied by a supervisor when they're called, Wexler said.

In Lansing, Michigan's capital, the foiled kidnapping plot targeting the governor heightened law enforcement's awareness of extremists who may try to sow chaos in the days leading up to and after the election, said Police Chief Daryl Green.

"Tensions are high. This is a very polarized election, and so we are working to leverage all of our community stakeholders ... to make sure all the resources are in place," Green said. "We're expecting the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst."

Green said his department is monitoring social media for threats, will be on the lookout for bad actors who may embed themselves at protests and has beefed up staffing. Officers and election staffers are also going through training to spot signs of voter intimidation, he said. 

In Las Vegas, Deputy Chief Andrew Walsh said officials have not seen any indication of unrest on Election Day, and there is no plan to staff the city’s polling sites with uniformed officers. But he said officers will randomly check those sites for signs of voting intimidation.

“The last thing I want, or any of us want, is to see people not come out and vote because they’re afraid to exercise their right,” Walsh said. “The fear and uncertainty is just as real as if it’s actually happening, and we don’t want people to feel fear and uncertainty.

"We want people to be assured of two things," Walsh said. "Law enforcement has no role, it is impartial, and if we are (at polling sites), we want to keep people safe.”