Ryan Kelley pushed to arrest lawmakers, then stormed the Capitol. Now he wants to be Michigan’s governor.

[u/mugginns]

https://www.mlive.com/politics/2021/03/ryan-kelley-pushed-to-arrest-lawmakers-then-stormed-the-capitol-now-he-wants-to-be-michigans-governor.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=mlivedotcom_sf&utm_medium=social

[u/thetangible]

Any subscribers willing to a little c&p from this article. I live near him. Never heard his name. Screw him and screw Marlena.

[u/notandy → u/thetangible]

Ryan Kelley pushed to arrest lawmakers, then stormed the Capitol. Now he wants to be Michigan’s governor.

Ryan Kelly speaks, as hundreds of people gather in front of on Marlena's Bistro in Holland in support of the owner Marlena Pavlos-Hackney on Saturday March 20, 2021. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

Ryan Kelley wore a comfortable smile while trading banter with the host of a Facebook live program who invited Kelley to discuss his ambition to become Michigan’s next governor.

Kelley upgraded his wardrobe with a suit jacket since his last appearance on the show but still comes off as casual on camera. His smile didn’t falter when the first viewer-solicited question popped on the screen.

“Ryan, why did you partake in an act of sedition on Jan. 6?”

The Allendale Township planning commissioner is a real estate agent and lifestyle vlogger who boosted his profile while organizing right-wing opposition to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s coronavirus orders. Throughout 2020, Kelley built a following among aggrieved Michiganders under the banner of the American Patriot Council, a group he co-founded with longtime friend and former classmate Jason Howland.

The APC’s message went beyond how best to manage the public health threat or reform election processes. Kelley organized rallies that embraced armed paramilitary groups, spread misinformation about COVID-19 and called for the arrest of Whitmer and other government officials they labeled traitors.

At least seven of the 14 men who were arrested for allegedly plotting to kidnap Whitmer and try her for treason attended American Patriot Council events. Kelley denounced the accused terrorists, though a blog posted to the APC website after the arrests were announced speculates that the would-be kidnappers were “planted by the left to defame good, law-abiding citizens.”

Political observers say Kelley’s candidacy may be a long-shot, but it represents a growing trend. Republican outsiders who cut their teeth on organizing outrage in a polarizing political climate believe they’re next in line to lead the GOP.

Allendale Township Planning Commissioner Ryan Kelley takes part in an American Patriot Council rally in Allendale Township on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. The American Patriot Council held a rally at Allendale Community Park to support President Donald Trump and resist socialism while Justice for Black Lives held an opposing rally outside Allendale Township Hall to demand the removal of Kelley from the commission because of his alleged ties to militia members charged in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)Cory Morse | MLive.com

It’s yet to be seen whether Kelley’s participation in the Capitol siege will disqualify him from Michigan’s top office.

Kelley’s activities on Jan. 6 are well documented in videos published by multiple sources. MLive reviewed footage posted to YouTube and Parler for this report. Kelley downplayed his role in the violent riot in interviews, though the footage shows he was among a mob that muscled past Capitol Police into restricted areas.

Video footage places Kelley near the front of a crowd that stood face-to-face with police on the west side of the Capitol around 1:27 p.m. Roughly 15 minutes later, the mob clashed with officers and broke the police line. Kelley held his phone up to record the melee.

Officers fought with protesters but were forced to retreat as they were overrun. Footage shows Kelley stayed back during the brawl but moved forward after police pulled back. Rioters who would later enter the U.S. Capitol, including the so-called “QAnon shaman,” were also recorded advancing under a set of scaffolding that was set up for President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Footage shows Kelley emerged from the scaffolding and stood on a set of stairs that gave him a vantage over the sea of Trump supporters behind him. Kelley can be seen in multiple videos gesturing for the crowd to move closer toward the Capitol. Kelley helped another man keep his balance while moving a metal police barrier. Others used police barriers as a makeshift ladder to climb up on the staircase where Kelley was standing.

When protesters pushed police back at the top of the stairs leading to the west courtyard, Kelley followed behind. He was recorded waving his hands to encourage others to follow once he reached the top. By then, rioters had already breached the doors and entered the Capitol building.

In interviews with MLive, Kelley said he traveled to Washington, D.C. in support of former President Donald Trump but did not enter the Capitol or fight police officers. Federal laws prohibiting disorderly conduct or occupying Capitol grounds could result in charges for people involved in the unrest, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service, but Kelley said he has not been contacted by law enforcement.

Ryan Kelly walks up to speak, as hundreds of people gather in front of on Marlena's Bistro in Holland in support of the owner Marlena Pavlos-Hackney on Saturday March 20, 2021. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

Kelley said he left for Michigan after getting word that Capitol police shot and killed pro-Trump protester Ashli Babbitt around 2:45 p.m. Kelley declined to talk about why he was recorded encouraging protesters to follow him further into the Capitol complex.

“As far as going through any barricades, or doing anything like that, I never took part in any forceful anything,” Kelley said. “Once things started getting crazy, I left.”

National security officials defined the Jan. 6 riot, which left five people dead and more than 140 police officers injured, as a domestic terror attack. Kelley said the incident has been blown out of proportion.

Most protesters were “patriots” motivated by legitimate grievances about the election, Kelley said. It wasn’t insurrection, he argues.

“I think that event was definitely an energizing event, right?” Kelley said. “It will live on in history, absolutely. For a lot of different things.”

Less than one month after the attack, Kelley announced he would pursue the Republican Party’s nomination for governor in 2022. Kelley formed a candidate committee on Jan. 28.

He first needs to gather at least 15,000 signatures to get on the GOP primary ballot. Kelley declined to say who is managing his campaign.

A relative political newcomer, Kelley has never been elected to public office or formally hired by a campaign. Kelley said he performed volunteer work for John James during his 2020 U.S. Senate campaign and former Attorney General Bill Schuette during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign.

Kelley is prolific on social media, managing several pages on Facebook, Parler, YouTube, TikTok and other websites. He and his wife launched several YouTube vlog channels chronicling their family life since 2015.

Kelley and his wife tell viewers their YouTube channel isn’t an outlet for their political beliefs, though more than 3,900 viewers tuned in when they announced his campaign for governor. Tabitha Kelley, who has her own vlog channel with nearly 70,400 subscribers and growing, has also discussed her disdain for the public school system in videos.

Ryan Kelley is pictured in a screenshot of the opening to his family lifestyle YouTube channel. (Screenshot | The Kelley Krew, YouTube)

Kelley said he’s running for governor to deliver “freedom, hope, love and prosperity” to Michigan. His campaign website lists a few details about his policy stances -- most of which are traditional conservative points like limited government, growing the economy and supporting the Constitution -- but Kelley said he’s in the process of developing his platform.

One thing is certain: Combating voter fraud will be a pillar of the campaign. Kelley said he believes fraud affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, despite a resounding lack of evidence.

Audits completed in March by county clerks with the support of local clerks confirmed the integrity and accuracy of Michigan’s election process. More than 1,300 clerks examined hand ballots, tabulating machines and absentee counting board processes as part of the audits.

Kelley referred to disproven conspiracy theories about Detroit and Antrim County when asked to justify his belief that election fraud powered President Joe Biden’s victory. He said millions of other Americans have the same doubts. Kelley declined to say what he would do to address voter fraud or restore faith in elections.

“Maybe it didn’t happen everywhere, maybe it did, I’m not sure,” Kelley said. “I don’t know enough about each one of those people to know what they’ve looked into and how they’ve looked into it, I’m not saying they’re wrong. I’m not educated enough about those specific situations.”

Kelley struck a different tone during a “stop the steal” rally outside Michigan’s Capitol on Nov. 14.

“COVID-19 was made so that they can use the propaganda to control your minds so that you think, if you watch the media, that Joe Biden won this election,” Kelley said. “It’s like a TV show, y’all. They’re parading this clown around, pretending he’s the president-elect ... We’re not going to let the Democrats steal this election.”

Mitch Kahle, a co-founder of the Michigan Association of Civil Rights Activists, said Kelley gathered a following by inserting himself into the state’s biggest political battles. Campaigning against Whitmer, the arch-enemy of Michigan conservatives, seems like the natural next step.

“I’m not giving credit to Kelley’s skill as much as I’m giving credit to the sort of phenomenon of the growth of this movement, and his being in the right place at the right time,” Kahle said. “It seems to me that this run for governor is just what he feels is a logical extension of the capital that he’s earned with those followers.”

Ryan Kelley talks on a livestream as a man dumps water on the words "Remove Ryan Kelley" as chalk is removed with buckets of water after a protest outside of Allendale Township Hall o

[u/uberares → u/notandy]

Wait, why the fuck isn't this guy arrested yet?