Associated Press

A judge ruled Tuesday that three men charged in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before the 2020 election were not entrapped by the FBI.

Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar will face a tentatively scheduled pretrial examination in August and trial in September, Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson said during a video conference.

They are accused of providing materials to support terrorist acts, attempting to commit a felony as an associate or member of gang, and gun charges.

They are accused of aiding six others who are charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer, including two men who pleaded guilty and four who are scheduled to stand trial March 8 in Grand Rapids. Five more are also charged in state courts. The FBI said it broke up a plot.

“This ruling makes clear these defendants were not pressured by law enforcement into committing these crimes,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “These were very serious threats to our elected officials and the public, and the perpetrators of these crimes must be held accountable.”