'I just wanted to go home': Defendant testifies in Whitmer kidnapping trial

ANTRIM COUNTY — Soon after Eric Molitor sat down to testify in his own defense in the Antrim County Courthouse on Thursday, Sept. 7, his attorney began to ask about his views on government.

Along with twin brothers Bill and Mike Null, Molitor is being charged with providing material support for terrorist acts and illegally possessing firearms. The defendants are accused of being conspirators in an elaborately planned plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. They are the last of 14 men charged in the case to stand trial.

Nearing the end of the second week, earlier testimony in the trial had described the conspirators' ultimate goal of violently overthrowing the government and inciting a nationwide civil war.

“Are you a pro-government or an anti-government person?” asked attorney William Barnett.

“I like government. We need government, obviously,” replied Molitor. “I just think people need to get more involved and rein it in a little more.”

Molitor added that he felt scared that people’s rights were under attack during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked the same question about law enforcement, Molitor said, "I'm pro-law enforcement. I just wish they would weed out the bad guys more instead of standing up for them.”

Out of the 14 men charged in the kidnapping scheme, Molitor is only the second to testify in trial on his own behalf. The other man was Daniel Harris, who was acquitted of the charges.

“Are you a person who would vote?” questioned Barnett.

“I voted for Gov. Whitmer," was Molitor’s response, adding that he also voted for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The AG’s office is leading the state’s prosecution of Molitor and his alleged co-conspirators.

Barnett's line of questioning was intended to show that Molitor is not the government-hating ideologue that other members of the militia involved in the kidnapping plot have been described as.

More: State rests its case against defendants in final Whitmer kidnapping plot trial

When asked about militias, Molitor said he had been in militia groups starting in 2017 but dropped out of any formal association, only attending military-style training camps hosted by the groups. He testified that although militia ringleader Adam Fox tried to swear him in, he never took an oath to join a militia group.

Molitor detailed his previous frustrations with militia groups, describing them as being full of “chest-beating” and paranoid people.

“There were always people running their mouths telling people about what they’ve done. Lying about being in the military. You just had to deal with that to be able to get down to the core group of people for training,” said Molitor.

At the time of Molitor’s arrest on Oct. 7, 2020, agents executing a search warrant found 13 firearms, body armor, a gas mask, flex cuffs, a radio and a combat medical kit designed to treat wounds while in battle. A radio frequency detector was also found, which is a device that could detect if someone was wearing a listening device.

All of those items were legal, according to Molitor, and used to further his career as a security guard — a job obtained for him by militia ringleader Adam Fox — or to compete in firearm training competitions or use for protection in instances where there might be civil discord.

More: Scenes from the final trial in foiled Whitmer kidnapping plot

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Molitor claimed that during the daytime reconnaissance mission to the governor’s Birch Lake summer cabin in August 2020, he was initially unaware of where he was going or what they were doing. He said he thought they were visiting a "high-profile vacation home," which he took to mean something involving protesters.

Starting from Cadillac and riding in an undercover FBI informant’s truck along with Fox, Molitor said he only became aware of the plans involving the governor’s cabin when the group had almost reached Elk Rapids.

While Fox and the informant — named as "CHS Dan" — were talking about the plans to kidnap the governor during the trip, Molitor said he was thinking “What do I say?” and trying to figure out "How to act to get out of the situation."

“While they are talking, I’m in my head trying to figure out what I need to do ... what was going on ... how much danger am I in,” said Molitor, who was the only one of the three carrying a concealed weapon.

The group drove down the governor’s street a few times and Molitor took a slow-motion video of her cabin at the request of Fox. They also went to Birch Lake to look at an access point for transportation.

Molitor said he took the video to fit in with the group that day and that if they had asked him to do anything extreme, he would have said no.

When prompted to explain his feelings during the Elk Rapids trip, Molitor said he was only thinking one thing, “I just want to get back home to my kids.”

Toward the end of the trip, Molitor said he had grown less concerned about his personal safety and the reality of the kidnap plan as he realized how unprepared "Dan" and Fox were and how far-fetched Fox’s ideas were.

After the trip, Molitor continued to maintain contact with Fox and other militia members, saying that he was listening for more information about a plan coming to fruition.

When asked, “Why didn’t you call the police?" his response was “There wasn’t enough concrete evidence.”

Molitor attended a firearm and medic training session in Luther, Michigan in September 2020, acting in the role of a medic. He claimed to be unaware of any planning regarding the kidnapping and that he heard no talk of using explosives to blow up the Elk River Bridge to slow police response.

He was not in attendance at any of the planning meetings listed on the AG’s significant events timeline.

Before Molitor took the stand on Thursday, his mother, Susan, testified on his behalf. In testimony to his character, she said that he "has empathy for other people, he cares about all people."

She also said Molitor had grown up around guns and they were not seen as something symbolizing violence in their household.

"We come from a long line of veterans and hunters. We believe that everyone who is a citizen here has constitutional rights to have guns," she said.

So far, other court cases involving conspirators in the kidnapping plot have seen four men strike a deal to plead guilty with the state, two men acquitted, two men found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to possess weapons of mass destruction, and three men convicted of felony counts of gang membership, providing material support to terrorism, and illegal weapons possession.

Court will resume at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, at the Antrim County Courthouse in Bellaire with continued testimony from Molitor.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231)675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: 'I just wanted to go home': Defendant testifies in Whitmer kidnapping trial