DETROIT — One of the suspects in the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer alleged kidnapping case wanted to raise the infamous 2021 U.S. Capitol riot at trial, alleging the FBI's handling of the deadly insurrection points to a "consciousness of guilt" by the government.
But the judge told him no.
On Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker denied Kaleb Franks permission to raise "wider, national concerns" regarding the FBI's alleged use of undercover agents and informants in the 2021 insurrection. Franks, 27, of Waterford, also wanted jurors to hear about a U.S. senator's questions about the FBI's actions in the riot, alleging the inquiries are relevant to an "objective" entrapment defense because they "show the government's consciousness of overreaching."
