Ryan Kelley, one of the Republican candidates for Michigan governor, was charged with misdemeanors on Thursday for his role in the 2021 post-election incursion at the U.S. Capitol.
Kelley, 40, was arrested in western Michigan and awaits a court hearing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, FBI spokeswoman Mara Schneider said.
His arrest came hours before the House committee investigating the incident was to hold a widely-anticipated public hearing, showing never-seen video, audio and an array of evidence collected by the panel.
There was no immediate comment from Kelley’s campaign.
Kelley’s participation in the Jan. 6 incursion has been widely known. In a court document, federal investigators filed photos of him in a baseball cap worn backward.
An affidavit filed by the FBI said Kelley was captured on video outside the Capitol, where he repeatedly waved to the crowd, directing them toward stairs leading into the building.
Kelley, who lives in Allendale Township, is accused of disruptive conduct, injuring public property and entering a restricted space without permission, according to the criminal complaint.
Kelley is one of five candidates on the Aug. 2 Republican primary ballot. The winner will face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Kelley is among more than 800 people who are facing criminal charges in connection with the incursion. More than 300 people have pleaded guilty, largely to misdemeanor offenses punishable by no more than one year in prison.
Will the arrest affect his campaign?
Kelley declined to participate in a debate last week because organizers of a public policy conference on Mackinac Island, Michigan, required proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test.
During the early months of the pandemic, Kelley organized a protest at the Michigan Capitol and invited armed militias to gather inside the statehouse.
He has told The Associated Press that militia members are “law-abiding, lawful citizens that love this country, and maybe you get a couple of them that are bad apples. Question for you is, are bad apples pretty much in everything that we have as far as groups?”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
