Failed GOP Michigan Gubernatorial Candidate Jailed on Jan. 6 Charges
A former Republican candidate for the Michigan governorship will spend two months behind bars after a judge sentenced him Tuesday on charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Ryan Kelley, 42, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count in July after federal prosecutors said he cheered on other rioters, climbed scaffolding, and helped rip down a protective tarp. According to prosecutors, Kelley “did not directly engage in violence,” but rather “encouraged, facilitated, and celebrated violence at the Capitol” by shouting and beckoning at the crowd. Kelley was arrested in the middle of the Michigan gubernatorial primary in June 2022; his campaign suggested on Facebook shortly after that he was a “political prisoner.” In August, he declared that he would refuse to concede after finishing fourth in a primary field of five. Kelley on Tuesday apologized for his actions on Jan. 6, adding that Donald Trump was not to blame for what he did, according to NBC News. The judge presiding over the sentencing hearing said he had “some serious concerns” that the 42-year-old was “truly remorseful.”
