Republican governor candidate gets jail time for role in Jan. 6 riot

A January 6 rioter who ran unsuccessfully for governor of Michigan in 2022 has been sentenced to two months in jail, reported The Daily Beast on Tuesday.

"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," reported A.J. McDougall. "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."

According to the report, the judge expressed “some serious concerns” whether Kelley was “truly remorseful.”

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Kelley was arrested during his campaign for Michigan governor last year, one of a handful of Republicans who made it through after several others were struck from the primary ballot due to signature irregularities. Despite his guilty plea, he stayed in the race and refused to concede after coming in fourth place in the primary.

Ultimately, businesswoman Tudor Dixon received the nomination, and proceeded to lose to incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested, convicted, or pleaded guilty in connection with the January 6 attack — the largest group of defendants for a single incident in U.S. history. The charges range from misdemeanor trespassing or unlawful picketing, to assaulting law enforcement, to seditious conspiracy charges against the ringleaders of various far-right groups, including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers that carried out organized operations at the Capitol.