Eric Trump will no longer visit a gun store that used to employ a man now accused of plotting the kidnapping of the governor of Michigan, the gun store’s owner said.
The Trump campaign initially announced Eric’s planned Tuesday stop at the New Hudson, Michigan store on Friday, a day after the FBI announced that it had thwarted a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). The Detroit News first reported the campaign’s change of plans Monday.
Six people face federal charges and seven face state charges in connection with the alleged plot.
Huron Valley Guns owner Ed Swadish did not disclose the name of the former employee, but a Facebook post from the store stated that the man had been fired after three weeks of work in February this year, the News reported. The former employee “would show up for work in a LOT of tactical gear,” the store’s post said.
“He ended up being one of the fringe characters arrested for the Governor Whitmer kidnapping,” the store added, referring to the alleged plot to kidnap the governor.
“The Governor would have had a field day against the Trump campaign” if the connection had come out, the post said. “They would accuse the administration of sending his son to the facility where terrorists work and train. This could not be further from the truth, but imagine the left spin.”
Swadish told the News that he understood the campaign decided to change venues because of the former employee’s connection to the plot — as well as “larger than expected ticket sales,” in the paper’s words.
The Trump campaign did not return TPM’s request for comment.
