Some big news today out of Michigan:
Ryan Kelley, one of the Republican candidates for Michigan governor, has been arrested on charges in the January 6th riot, the FBI confirmed to News 8.
The News 8 crew outside Kelley’s suburban Allendale home late Thursday morning saw a basketball hoop in the driveway and toys on the front lawn. A large flag reading “Ryan Kelley for governor” waved nearby the house.
Neighbors recorded video of what appear to be FBI vehicles at the home. In the background, they can be heard discussing how the officials are wearing FBI jackets.
Kelley is a real estate broker. He was previously an Allendale Township planning commissioner but no longer serves on any township board.
He has faced criticism after being seen at the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. It’s unclear whether that has anything to do with is arrest.
He has also been questioned about his connection to militia groups and for encouraging prospective poll workers to tamper with voting machines during a January 2022 livestream.
Here’s some more info:
The arrest and search unfolded hours ahead of members of a House select committee starting long-awaited televised hearings on the Jan. 6 riot.
The American Patriot Council has alleged that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, three Democrats, are felons. Kelley has also called for their arrests.
"Gretchen Whitmer, Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson are felons and should be arrested and put in prison," Kelley said in a past video on the group's website.
In January, he told a crowd in Livingston County to unplug voting machines from the wall if "you see something you don't like happening with the machine."
In response, Benson said tampering with ballot machines is illegal.
In January 2022, Benson, the state's top elections officials, said she had referred Kelley's comments about unplugging voting machines to Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Some more context on this clown:
Kelley, who sells real estate, was at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. when protestors rioted and illegally entered the building on Jan. 6, 2021, though he never confirmed he went inside and has denied doing anything illegal.
He is one of five Republican candidates on the August primary ballot for governor, after five other candidates were disqualified.
"Just days after their field was cut in half due to corruption and mass fraud, Republican gubernatorial candidates’ callous disregard for the principles of democracy was on full display again today," said Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party.
A Kelley campaign spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Kelley’s only experience in government came in Allendale, where he was an appointed member of the township’s planning commission, starting in Dec.2019. He is no longer a planning commission member, according to the township's website.
In June 2021, the Michigan Democratic Party shared a video of Kelley outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 of that year. In the video, Kelley appears to shout: "Come on, let's go! This is it! This is — this is war, baby!"
Kelley's involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot had prompted some Allendale residents to call for his removal during township board meetings in Jan. 2021. Kelley had also clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in Allendale in the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020.
Kelley also drew ire from residents for his defense of a controversial statue in the township’s Garden of Honor depicting a Confederate soldier as part of its Civil War memorial. Kelley organized multiple rallies around the statue, at one point garnering criticism for inviting William Null, one of the suspects facing felony charges in Antrim County's 86th District Court for his role in the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Oct. 2020.
FYI:
The GOP contest for Michigan governor has changed radically now that James Craig, Perry Johnson and three others are bounced from the ballot for alleged signature forgeries.
A new poll shows that a relatively unknown candidate, Allendale real estate agent Ryan Kelley, who was at the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, leads his party's primary race with 19-percent support.
He's followed by Kevin Rinke with 15 percent, Tudor Dixon with 9 percent, Garrett Soldano with 6 percent and Ralph Rebandt with 1 percent.
It's a fluid contest as voters get acquainted with who's out, who's in and who they are. Of the 400 people polled late this week, 49 percent said they were still undecided.
The Michigan Primary is August 2nd. Click here to register to vote.
Democracy and Health are on the ballot this year and we need to get ready to make sure to keep Michigan Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with Whitmer and her fellow Michigan Democrats campaigns:
