(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Michigan Rep. Rachelle Smit caused controversy last week when she paid tribute to two men in her district that were recently acquitted in the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping conspiracy.
Smit presented the men, brothers William and Michael Null, with a awards for their “courage, unflagging spirt and dedication to our state and the founding principles of our beloved nation,” according to local news station WoodTV.
“Michael Null could have given up. His government—state and federal—betrayed him: It sent members of its secret police forces to concoct a plot to ‘kidnap’ Gretchen Whitmer, and to persecute innocent men in this government-orchestrated conspiracy, for the purpose of political theater and political gain,” Smit’s award to the Nulls stated.
“Michael Null bravely stood his ground, met his government inquisitors in court, and soundly defeated them,” the award stated, adding, “Through his courageous efforts to expose the government’s false-flag Whitmer conspiracy, he has made it clear that we all have opportunities each and every day to put our love of country to good use in helping our fellow citizens.”
Presenting the awards on Friday, Smith reportedly said they were being bestowed to the Nulls “on behalf of the state.”
That apparently triggered Whitmer, whose office issued a scathing response.
“This goes beyond the pale,” press secretary Stacey LaRouche reportedly wrote in an email to News 8.
“These types of actions normalize and incite violence against our political figures, and only serve to shake our faith in our values and our institutions. This tribute will further encourage and embolden radical extremists trying to sow discord and harm public officials or law enforcement.”
Smit held her ground when pressed on the matter by a reporter on Friday.
“Well, I am a representative of the state,” she reportedly said. “This is from my office, the 43rd District state Representative Rachelle Smit. They are my constituents and I am here to come out on behalf of them and support them in their efforts and grateful that … the charges are dismissed and they are found innocent.”
Indeed, the Null brothers were found innocent along with Eric Molitor after an uphill legal battle, which started with a judge ruling that they couldn’t raise “entrapment” as a legal defense.
The prosecution also threatened convicted Whitmer conspiracy defendant Adam Fox from testifying for the defense. Fox presumably would have told the jury how he was manipulated into the plot by about a dozen undercover informants and agents.
However, state prosecutor Bill Rollstin and the FBI’s main witness, agent Henrik Impola, were frequently caught in lies and inconsistencies throughout the trial.
Defense attorney William Barnett struck a crucial blow in the trial when he emphasized how improper it is for an FBI informant to train others for an alleged terrorist plot.
“How is it that you’re allowing your informant, who’s supposed to be a listening post, to train for an illegal purpose?” the defense attorney asked agent Impola.
“He’s basically training them for the crime we’re here for, isn’t he?”
Perhaps the most devastating point for the prosecution was when Impola was caught presenting doctored evidence to the jury.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
