Republican nominee for Governor Ryan Kelley speaks in Lansing, Michigan, Feb. 8. Jenifer Veloso / The Associated Press
The FBI on Thursday arrested Michigan Republican Gov. Ryan Kelley for minor offenses arising from his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a crowd of supporters of then-President Donald Trump. say the Department of Justice.
Kelley, 40, of Allendale, is one of five Republicans in the state competing to face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer next fall. He currently serves as Allissale’s designated planning commissioner.
Your campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
His arrest comes on the same day that the select committee of the House of Representatives led by Democrats investigating the attack on the United States Capitol last year will hold the first of several hearings scheduled to present the evidence it has accumulated on the riot and the events that led to it. that.
According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, Kelley was caught in a standing video amid a crowd of people who were “assaulting and pushing law enforcement officers” at the Capitol.
Other images also show that Kelley was climbing an architectural feature near the northwest stairs of the building, according to the statement. You can then see in video footage waving your hand to encourage the crowd to move up the stairs.
Kelley’s presence at the Capitol that day was first identified by a person who called the FBI information line, as well as by a confidential human source who has worked with the office since 2020 to provide information on national terrorist groups in Michigan, according to the statement.
The FBI affidavit said investigators were also able to compare photos of Kelley at other events in which she wore similar costumes, including the May Patriot Council’s “Judgment Day” demonstration in May 2020, among others. others.
In November 2020, the statement said, he was also a keynote speaker at a “Stop the Steal” rally in which he told the crowd, “We will stand up and fight for America, for Donald Trump. We will not let Democrats rob these elections “.
Kelley faces charges of deliberately entering restricted land without legal authority, disorderly conduct, deliberately engaging in acts of physical violence against property for restricted reasons, and intentionally injuring U.S. property.
She is one of more than 840 people charged so far in connection with the attack on the Capitol.
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