ALANDEIL, Michigan – Ryan Kelly, the Republican candidate for governor of Michigan, was arrested by the FBI at his home in Western Michigan on Thursday morning on charges related to the January 6 uprising in the US Capitol.
Following his indictment Thursday afternoon at the U.S. District Court in downtown Grand Rapids, Kelly was released on remand, meaning he did not have to post bail. His next appearance in court is scheduled for June 16 at 1 p.m.
Kelly had a smile on his face when he was greeted by a crowd of supporters leaving the courthouse. When asked about his arrest or alleged involvement in the January 6 uprising, Kelly gave only a few answers to the media: “We’ll talk later” or “It’s a wonderful day in western Michigan.” God is good”.
I WATCH:
Ryan Kelly released on PR Bond
An FBI search warrant was issued on Thursday morning, an FBI spokesman confirmed.
He was arrested on the following charges:
- Deliberately entering or remaining in any prohibited building or territory without legal permission
- Disorganized and destructive behavior in a confined building or territory
- Consciously participate in any act of physical violence against a person or property in any building or restricted area
- Intentionally injuring or committing any theft against any property of the United States.
Each of these charges carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison, but they can be served at the same time.
Michigan GOP President Ron Wieser sent the statement today in response to Kelly’s arrest:
Michael McDaniel, a professor of constitutional law at Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University, said the FBI and the Department of Justice were doing the right thing and should move forward by arresting and accusing people like Kelly of the uprising.
“It was an attack on our temple of democracy,” he told FOX 17 on Thursday afternoon. “The US Capitol is where our elected representatives, both the Senate and the House, reside – those we have entrusted to act on our behalf in Washington do business. They did so. They were committed to certifying the electoral college process at the very moment of this attack, which concerns the other part, namely that it was not just an attack on the building, it was an attack on the democratic process that we all value and wait dear . So, yes, even if there are accusations of wrongdoing, I think those people who have been involved should be held accountable.
Javed Ali, a former senior director of counterterrorism, National Security Council and associate professor of practice at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, adds:
“Ryan Kelly’s arrest should not be viewed by a guerrilla lens, but an objective, evidence-based assessment of the alleged crimes he committed on January 6, 2021. The FBI and the Department of Justice must have assessed the timing of his arrest today in on the eve of the committee’s hearing later tonight, and I felt comfortable enough to take action by law enforcement, despite those who would see it as politically motivated. “
A video taken by a neighbor shows the FBI searching Kelly’s home in Allendale.
WATCH: Michigan GOP Gov. Ryan Kelly Arrested by FBI
Ben Miller, who lives on the corner of Wild Duck Ln, where Kelly lives, told FOX 17: “It’s definitely not something you expect to come to every morning. Whoever it is, I don’t think it’s expected. “
Kelly attended the January 6 uprising in the United States Capitol, and last year he told MLive he was there but did not go through barricades and left when things went crazy.
Official documents state that the FBI began receiving information that Kelly was at the US Capitol on January 16, 2021.
“At approximately 1:30 p.m. on January 6, 2021, a video of the event, which was posted online, shows a man wearing aviator sunglasses and a black baseball cap turned back at about 7 minutes and 9 seconds. This indicates that Kelly gathered near the entrance to the northwest scaffolding on the west side of the US Capitol. The man with sunglasses and a baseball cap is pictured below, “the documents said.
The FBI used photos and videos from the January 6 uprising to track Kelly’s actions that day. The FBI says Kelly used his phone to film the mob attacking and crashing past police officers from the US Capitol.
“After the U.S. Capitol police officers withdrew, the crowd climbed the stairs to the inside of the U.S. Capitol interior. At approximately 13:51 Kelly moved to the side of the nearby staircase and began to climb the architectural line to these stairs. In this publicly available media image, Kelly can be seen through the scaffolding on the stairs. Other members of the crowd can also be identified, “the documents said.
According to documents, Kelly was then spotted climbing an architectural site next to the northwest staircase and showing the crowd behind him that he had to move on.
Kelly can also be seen “using his hands to support another rebel who is pulling a metal barricade over the scaffolding.”
Kelly recently missed the Republican debate at Mackinac’s policy conference on vaccine and test requirements.
Kelly is a real estate broker who rose to prominence in Republican circles during the COVID-19 pandemic over a protest in the Michigan Capitol against the blockade.
Kelly is one of five Republicans left in the field after five other candidates were excluded from the primary vote in August due to invalid signatures.
He was released 15 hours ago on Thursday.
Read the official complaint against Kelly below:Kelly Ryan – Complaint from WXMI of Scribd
Read the official statement below:Kelly Ryan – Complaint from WXMI of Scribd
* WXYZ contributed to this report.
Add Comment