GRAND RAPIDS — In a do-over for the government, a federal jury Tuesday convicted two men charged with plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer out of anger over her handling of the pandemic, ending a dramatic trial that highlighted the growth of violent extremism in America.

The jury deliberated for about eight hours over two days before delivering the guilty verdicts against Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who were convicted on all counts and face up to life in prison for crimes they insisted were hatched by the FBI.

The verdicts drew praise from many in law enforcement and the legal community, especially Whitmer, whom prosecutors said was the target of extremists who wanted to settle their differences with violence.

The guilty verdicts came down on Whitmer's birthday.