The FBI has arrested Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley on several misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, The Daily Beast reports. The arrest came after a Thursday morning raid on Kelley's home.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast that Kelley, a 40-year-old real estate agent, was taken from his home around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. The federal agents used a search warrant, per The Detroit Free Press.
Kelley was apparently at the Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, though he "never confirmed" he went inside the building "and has denied doing anything illegal," writes the Detroit Free Press. That said, he is described in federal court records as an "active participant in the riot," having allegedly climbed onto portions of the building and yelled and gestured to participants, The Detroit News summarizes.
He is one of five GOP candidates in the primary for Michigan governor, after five others were disqualified "for submitting fraudulent nominating petition signatures," adds The Detroit News.
Aside from his alleged involvement in the Capitol riot, Kelley has also in the past reportedly made waves for butting heads with Black Lives Matter protesters in the summer of 2020, and defending a statue of a Confederate soldier in an Allendale township garden's Civil War memorial, writes The Detroit Free Press.