Ryan Kelley, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, speaks to conservative activists that are demanding another investigation into former President Donald Trump’s loss during a rally on Feb. 8, 2022 outside the Michigan Capitol in Lansing, Mich. Kelley, one of five Republican candidates for Michigan governor, was charged with a misdemeanor Thursday, June 9, 2022, for his role in the 2021 postelection riot at the U.S. Capitol. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)
DETROIT (AP) — Ryan Kelley, one of five Republican candidates for Michigan governor, was charged with misdemeanors Thursday for his role in the 2021 postelection riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Kelley, 40, was arrested in western Michigan and awaits a court hearing in Grand Rapids, FBI spokeswoman Mara Schneider said.
There was no immediate comment from Kelley’s campaign.
Kelley’s participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection has been widely known. In a court document, federal investigators filed photos of him in a baseball cap worn backward, trying to rally the pro-Donald Trump crowd.
Kelley, who lives in Allendale Township, is accused of disruptive conduct, injuring public property and entering 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 declined to participate in a debate last week because organizers of a public policy conference on Mackinac Island 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, inviting heavily 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?”
Associated Press reporters Mike Balsamo in Washington and Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report.
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