The FBI agent credited with thwarting the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been fired from the agency after domestic violence allegations were levied against him.
According to The Detroit News, Special Agent Richard Trask was fired last week while awaiting trial on charges of assault with intent to do bodily harm and allegations that he beat his wife’s head against a nightstand following an argument caused by a swingers party they attended.
The firing of the law enforcement officer comes amid questions concerning potential misconduct by the FBI during the kidnapping investigation, and whether as many as 12 informants were driving the alleged conspiracy.
Trask was dropped as a witness for the FBI following comments he made on social media calling former President Donald Trump a “douchebag” and a “piece of s---.”
The arrest and subsequent firing come as defense lawyers representing the accused attempted kidnappers began planning their legal strategy, which includes attacking the credibility of the FBI agents involved in the case. The defense team also plans on alleging the FBI informants, including Trask, entrapped the defendants.
The trial will not be conducted until December at the earliest, and the defense team may still attempt to call Trask as a witness despite the FBI dismissing him for the prosecution.