Page:United States Department of Justice - FOX.pdf/4

 creating a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and where they could be self-sufficient. They discussed different ways of achieving this goal from peaceful endeavors to violent actions. At one point, several members talked about state governments they believed were violating the U.S. Constitution, including the government of Michigan and Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Several members talked about murdering “tyrants” or “taking” a sitting governor. The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message. As part of that recruitment effort, FOX reached out to a Michigan based militia group (the “militia group.”)

8. The militia group had already been brought to the attention of the FBI by a local police department in March 2020, when members of the militia group were attempting to obtain the addresses of local law-enforcement officers. At the time, the FBI interviewed a member of the militia group who was concerned about the group’s plans to target and kill police officers, and that person agreed to become a CHS.

9. As reported by CHS-2 and confirmed by the FBI, the militia group periodically meets for field training exercises (“FTX”) on private property in remote areas of Michigan, where they engage in firearms training and tactical drills. CHS-2 told the FBI that, at a FTX on June 14, 2020, one of the founders of the militia group said he had been introduced to FOX.