Gov. Ralph Northam

On his return to the office today following an 18-day quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, Governor Northam said he was never in “imminent danger” from a kidnapping plot revealed in a Michigan court hearing today. A spokesperson said the motivation for that alleged plot falls on the shoulders of President Trump. Northam then said this afternoon it happened after he said in April the state would follow CDC safety guidelines. Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring also weighed in, saying in a written statement that “From day one, President Trump has used his platform as Commander-in-Chief to vilify his opponents and to urge his supporters to go after anyone who may disagree with them.”

(previously) The Associated Press reports that members of anti-government para-military groups discussed kidnapping Virginia Governor Ralph Northam during a June meeting in Ohio. An FBI agent testified about that today at a court hearing in Michigan, as part of the investigation regarding a plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The agent said people at a meeting he attended undercover were unhappy with Northam’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.