Undercover informant testifies Whitmer kidnap defendants wanted to harm police

Big Dan signed on with the FBI to become a confidential source after joining the paramilitary Wolverine Watchmen group and going to the police because he believed there was a "substantial threat against law enforcement" and wanted to save lives, the informant testified Thursday in a Jackson County court.

Dan was paid, but did not, he said, ask for money to do it.

He told the jury his motive for helping the feds and potentially risking his life while doing so was because: "I was in a unique position to delay or stop — with working with the FBI — violence against law enforcement, on Americans, on your neighbors."

A six-year Army veteran, Dan testified against three defendants — Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar — who are accused of plotting to help kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from her northern Michigan vacation home two years ago and charged with providing material support for terrorism, a felony punishable by up to 20 years.

But in cross examination, the defense challenged the credibility of Dan's testimony, asking why he didn't have screen grabs showing the initial posts looking for the home addresses of police that he said initially concerned him, and tried to pin him down on which defendants were present at the meetings and protests.

The defense also pointed out that in testimony earlier this year, Dan said the Wolverine Watchmen voted him into a leadership position. Dan, who is also a gun instructor, acknowledged that he was introduced to the Wolverine Watchman through Facebook and applied to join the online group by answering some questions.

Dan also acknowledged he had a traumatic brain injury from combat, which has resulted in memory problems.

But the courtroom briefly erupted into disorder as both sides argued about whether the defense could question Dan's military record, with the prosecution accusing the defense of speaking too loudly and the judge shouting at lawyers to "tone it down."

The trial in Jackson is part of a larger domestic terrorism case that also was tried in federal court, in which four defendants were convicted and two others acquitted. The state also has brought a related domestic terrorism case against five more men in Antrim County.

Dan said he was "very uneasy" about what the men were planning and became the "eyes and ears" for the FBI, relaying to agents what the defendants said in encrypted chats, during meetings and military-style training exercises, including one in Wisconsin.

While offering the feds information, Dan said he also sought to prevent or de-escalate potential violence. He sometimes drove places, he said, so he could keep an eye on things. He also detailed how members often feared they were walking into "an FBI trap" and discussed their disdain for cops.

At one point, Dan said, he told the defendants the Wolverine Watchmen was not his group, it was Morrison's, who was the commanding officer. At the same time, Dan acknowledged in court that others in the group named him executive officer, a position often considered second in command.

But is it terrorism?

The defense has said that the suspects' words and actions, as presented by the state, may be upsetting, but they do not prove laws were broken.

Moreover, defense attorneys said during opening statements, Dan was the one spurring them on.

Dan — under questioning by Kareem Johnson, Musico's attorney — acknowledged that the defendants didn't always seem to be working together.

Dan confirmed that some referred to Musico as "Crazy Pete," and said that in addition to starting a revolution, he mentioned "sinkholes and earthquakes" and had come into contact with police at least 10 times.

Musico, Dan also confirmed, talked about trying to get an "arrest warrant" for the governor.

In questioning by Leonard Ballard, Morrison's attorney, Dan said the paramilitary training didn't simulate a specific place, such as the state capitol. Dan acknowledged that during some of the group's exercises, he acted as one of the group's trainers.

In addition, Dan said he was the only one to attend Morrison's birthday party.

Dan testified that after Morrison didn't show up at meetings, some questioned his commitment to the cause.

In an audio recording, Dan asks an agent what is next, and whether the agency was "wasting my time with this?"

'Kill law enforcement'

Still, at one point, Dan said, he was headed to a protest in Detroit with others with large-caliber rifles and night vision goggles, and had no idea whether the "FBI was even listening." Dan said he was nervous, afraid that he might be exposed as an undercover informant.

The march eventually dispersed, but while waiting, Dan said Bellar told him that if police interfered, he'd start shooting.

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Morrison, Dan said, told him he started the group because he had been stopped by police in connection to the concealed carrying of a weapon and "he had hatred toward police," and that Musico mentioned that he had tracked down an officer and tossed an improvised explosive at his home.

Dan, who testified that several in the group wanted to "kill law enforcement," added that in other conversations Musico was incensed with Whitmer and her pandemic restrictions. he expressed that he was upset and that "nothing good was coming out of his mouth" about the governor.

Dan said he attended protests as an informant, including one in 2020 at the state capitol.

He also went to training, Dan said, in which Bellar taught others how to enter and clear rooms with weapons. Musico bragged how he attempted to intimidate police, and Morrison asked Dan about insurgency training. Morrison also, Dan said, asked him for help to fortify his home.

Creating QRFs, starting the boog

Dan testified the group later created what they called quick reaction forces, which could engage others. The term, which the military uses, refers to a unit that can respond to developing situations and assist other groups if needed.

In June, Dan said he went to a meeting in Grand Rapids where there were others, including Adam Fox, who was accused and convicted of being one of the kidnap plot ringleaders, and discussed their plans, which included igniting a civil war.

Many at the meeting, Dan said, were smoking marijuana.

The trial is nearing the end of its second week and is expected to continue with more testimony Friday.

Earlier this week, testimony revealed details about how the defendants were organizing a revolution, what they called a boogaloo, as civil unrest unfolded nationwide in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

It also uncovered how a defendant's landlord called police after finding a handwritten boogaloo sign in Bellar's apartment, and other evidence, including a notebook filled with code words, and this had triggered panic among the group.

And Wednesday there was much discussion about whether a juror was flirting with a defendant because she was smiling and looking at him. Judge Thomas Wilson said he was going to keep an eye on her. But the defense attorneys argued that there was no way to know what she was thinking.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Informant testifies he wanted to stop Whitmer kidnap plot, save lives