Michigan Governor Blames Disrupted Kidnapping Plot on Trump Telling Proud Boys to ‘Stand By’

EXCERPT:

WHITMER: “Just last week the President of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups. 'Stand back and stand by,' he told them. Stand back and stand by. Hate groups heard the President’s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight. When our leaders meet with, encourage or fraternize with domestic terrorists they legitimize their actions and they are complicit. When they stoke and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit.”