A key FBI agent involved in the investigation into the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was accused of brutally attacking his wife. Richard James Trask, an FBI agent since 2011, allegedly mauled his wife after the couple went to a swingers party.
Trask and his wife allegedly went to a swingers party at a hotel just west of Kalamazoo, where they had several drinks. "She added that she did not like the party and they argued about it on the way home," according to the Detroit News.
When the quarreling couple returned home from the sex party, Trask got on top of her in their bed and "then grabbed the side of her head and smashed it several times on the nightstand," according to the affidavit.
Law & Crime reported, "According to the affidavit, Trask's wife initially grabbed at his beard to get free but he began choking her neck and throat in response to that defensive effort. The struggle eventually ended when she grabbed her husband's testicles, according to investigators."
Trask's wife had bloody lacerations to the right side of her head and "blood all over chest, clothing arms and hand," as well as "severe" bruising to her neck and throat, according to an affidavit filed by the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office in Kalamazoo County District Court.
Trask reportedly left their home in his wife's car, but was tracked down and arrested by Kalamazoo County Sheriff's deputies in a supermarket parking lot in Oshtemo Township, Michigan. Trask, 39, refused to provide law enforcement with a statement on the alleged incident.
Trask was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond. As part of his bond conditions, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The FBI agent faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of assault with intent to do great bodily harm.
FBI spokesperson Mara Schneider said in a statement, "The FBI is aware of the recent charges brought by the Kalamazoo County, Michigan Prosecuting Attorney's Office involving an FBI Special Agent. We are fully cooperating with the prosecuting attorney's office on this matter. In accordance with FBI police, the incident is subject to internal review, and we cannot comment further at this time."
Trask was at the center of the investigation into the Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot that was revealed when the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of 13 men involved in the domestic terror case on Oct. 8, 2020.
Trask's affidavit was used in charges against the people accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer.
In an October hearing, Trask testified that the suspects were involved with paramilitary groups, such as the "Wolverine Watchmen," according to the Associated Press. Trask said the group considered targeting Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D).
BuzzFeed News reported this week that FBI agents may have had a bigger role in the kidnapping scheme than previously believed. Some of the conspirators expressed reservations about going through with the kidnapping, but were coerced by FBI informants, according to the report.
An examination of the case by BuzzFeed News also reveals that some of those informants, acting under the direction of the FBI, played a far larger role than has previously been reported. Working in secret, they did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception. The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them.
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