“Paul Smith’s conspiracy theories and hateful remarks do not represent our values. That is why the House Republican Campaign Committee is not supporting him and will not spend one dime to get him elected,” they said in a statement.

But Mr. Smith isn’t the only Republican who made light of the plot. Sheriff Dar Leaf, of Barry County in Western Michigan, said in a television interview Thursday that the scheme may have just amounted to a “citizen’s arrest.” Mr. Leaf, who has been a vocal critic of Ms. Whitmer’s shutdown orders and has said he won’t enforce the rules she imposed, shared a stage with one of the suspects at an anti-lockdown meeting in May that also featured the State Senate majority leader, Mike Shirkey, a Republican.

“A lot of people are angry with the governor, and they want her arrested. So are they trying to arrest or was it a kidnap attempt?” he asked. He later said his words were misunderstood.

Ms. Nessel said Sheriff Leaf’s comments were terrifying.

“To think that there is a group of sheriffs out there who truly believe that it’s appropriate for armed gunmen to perpetrate a citizens’ arrest should alarm us all,” she said. “Logic seems to have really escaped us. Come January, I hope we see a change in circumstances.”

It’s unclear how much the incident will affect voters at a time most have already made their minds up, but some operatives said it could pose one more hurdle for Mr. Trump and Michigan Republicans.

Ed Sarpolus, an independent political consultant and pollster, said the kidnapping plot could help to solidify turnout from some Democratic voters who are concerned about white supremacy but were not particularly swayed by either candidate during the presidential debate.

“I would say in some quarters it makes some excitement to get out and vote because it’s like, ‘There he goes again,’” Mr. Sarpolus said of Mr. Trump.

Source: New York Times

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