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FBI agents arrested Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley on Thursday morning for allegedly participating in the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Prosecutors said that Kelley is facing four misdemeanor charges "stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol breach," ABC News reported. He was set to appear in court later on Thursday.
Court documents don't show that Kelley is accused of entering the Capitol building, but he is facing charges for being present on restricted grounds at the Capitol complex and for participating in disorderly conduct, among other counts.
The FBI reportedly received multiple tips that led to the Republican candidate's arrest, including one that was sent 10 days after January 6, 2021, according to the arrest affidavit. The tips included videos and images of Kelley at the Capitol riot.
The arrest came in the midst of an ongoing public hearing held by the House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6. The committee plans to reveal its findings of the months-long investigation that includes evidence entailing over 1,000 interviews, official documents, photos and texts.
Kelley has publicly defended former President Donald Trump on different occasions, including at a Stop the Steal rally that was held after the 2020 presidential election in Lansing, according to PBS Newshour. At the rally, Kelley touted the unproven claim that Trump won the election and told crowds that Democrats tried to steal his victory.
According to a video cited by the Michigan Democratic Party in June of last year, Kelley on January 6, 2021, appeared to shout "this is war" and move toward the Capitol building at the time when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
"Come on, let's go! This is it! This is—this is war, baby!" Kelley appeared to say in the clip.
In March of 2021, the Michigan Association of Civil Rights Activists confirmed that Kelley was seen entering restricted areas as he allegedly bypassed police barricades around the building.
An FBI spokesperson also confirmed that Kelley's home in Allendale was being searched without revealing any further details, The Detroit News reported.
When asked whether the arrest would impact Kelley's participation in the race for governor, a spokesperson for the office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson at the Michigan Department of State said: "Being charged with a crime does not result in someone being removed from the ballot."
In an interview with MLive in 2021, Kelley described the Capitol events as "energizing" while discussing his gubernatorial campaign.
"I think that event was definitely an energizing event, right?" he said. "It will live on in history, absolutely. For a lot of different things."
Earlier this year, Kelley encouraged people in Livingston County to unplug voting machines from the wall in case they "gu," according to The Detroit News.
His comments about the voting machines were referred to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in January of this year by Benson, who said that it is illegal to tamper with ballot machines.
"My message was if individuals working the election expect fraud, that they repair the injury," Kelley told News 8, commenting on his ballot machine remarks at the time. "I stand by that 100 percent. The left is mad that we are taking control of the narrative and we will not let them steal another election."
He also organized the American Patriot Rally at the Michigan Capitol in 2020, when he invited heavily armed militias to come together inside the statehouse to protest against COVID-related restrictions early in the pandemic, the Associated Press reported at the time.
The news of Kelley's Thursday arrest might fuel uncertainty in the race for Michigan governor in which some GOP candidates have been blocked from the ballot for submitting forged petition nomination signatures, according to NPR.
Kelley, who is a real estate broker and founder of the American Patriot Council, launched his committee to run for governor in late January of 2021. He is four points ahead of any other GOP candidate, according to a RealClear Politics poll, as reported by Click on Detroit.
He is campaigning for the Republican nomination against Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer, along with four other GOP candidates ahead of the party's primary set for August 2. The other GOP candidates are Tudor Dixon, Ralph Rebandt, Kevin Rinke and Garrett Soldano, according to Bridge Michigan.
Newsweek reached out to Kelley's office for comment.
Update 6/10/22, 2:28 p.m. ET: The story has been updated with additional information.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more