A former Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan was sentenced to jail Tuesday on Jan. 6 related charges.
Ryan Kelley, 42, pleaded guilty to entering and remaining on restricted grounds in July after federal prosecutors said he cheered on other rioters, climbed scaffolding, and helped tear down a protective tarp, according to NBC News.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper sentenced Kelley to 60 days in prison.
“I think you misused the platform that you had as a candidate for elected office to minimize, and frankly, to lie about what happened,” Cooper said, citing fundraising emails Kelley sent while campaigning for Michigan governor.
In one email he referred to the 2020 election as stolen and called the Jan. 6 riot an “FBI set-up.”
At Tuesday’s hearing Kelley apologized and his lawyer said he was dine with politics.
