The FBI Thursday arrested Ryan Kelley, a Republican nominee for governor of Michigan, for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol in Washington. Kelley is one of five Republicans in the state competing to face Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in November.
According to a statement from an FBI agent, Kelley was caught on video in a crowd of people “attacking and pushing law enforcement aside” in the Capitol. Other images show Kelley climbing on an “architectural element” near the stairs leading to the building. He is then seen waving his hand to encourage the crowd to go up.
Kelley is charged with knowingly trespassing, disorderly conduct, and knowingly damaging “American property”. He is one of more than 840 people charged so far in connection with the Capitol attack.
In November 2020, Kelley was also a featured speaker at a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally where he told the crowd, “We’re going to stand and fight for America, for Donald Trump. We’re not going to let the Democrats steal this election.”
Kelley’s arrest comes the same day a Democrat-led House committee is holding its first hearings on the storming of the Capitol. Questions at the heart of the hearings are why then-Trump refused to condemn the attack for hours — and whether this proves that he reneged and tried to prevent Congress from determining the election results.