GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Former Republican candidate for Michigan governor Ryan Kelley said he believes President-elect Donald Trump will keep his promise and pardon him and others for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Ryan Kelley, 43, who now lives in Kent County, served 60 days in federal prison for his part in the riot.
Trump has said he would pardon those involved.
He’s described them as “warriors,” “unbelievable patriots,” political prisoners and “hostages.”
“I believe that he will keep his promises, and if that is a promise he made, I believe it is one he will keep,” Kelley wrote in a text message exchange with WOOD TV.
Kelley declined a request for an interview.
“Someday,” he wrote. “Not today.”
Kelley, who placed fourth in Michigan’s 2022 gubernatorial primary with 15% of the vote, is among more than 1,000 convicted so far in the Jan. 6 attack, according to the feds. That includes as many as two-dozen from Michigan.
The attack injured more than 140 police officers and left several people dead.
Kelley was arrested in 2022 after anonymous tipsters gave photos to the FBI showing him at the Capitol.
The feds said he was part of the crowd that rushed the Capitol, forcing police to retreat up the stairs and into the building. He was accused of directing parts of the crowd to and around the Capitol but did not enter the building himself, investigators said.
At the time of his arrest, polls showed he was the leading candidate for the GOP gubernatorial primary.
Kelly pleaded guilty in October 2023 to a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining on restricted grounds.
He admitted he “rushed past U.S. Capitol police officers” and “used his hands to support another rioter who was pulling a metal bike rack onto the scaffolding.”
Prosecutors also accused him of ripping a tarp on the inauguration stage.
After his arrest, Kelley called the Jan. 6 riot an FBI set-up and continued to insist the 2020 election was stolen.
At his sentencing, he apologized and blamed himself not Trump.
He told the judge he went to Washington in the first place because Trump had promised to show “receipts” proving the election had been stolen. He said those receipts “never showed up.”
At his sentencing, his lawyer said he planned to return to Michigan and continue his career as a commercial real estate agent.
“Life’s journey is one of continuous transformation for those who seek growth and embrace every experience as an opportunity to rise,” Kelley wrote in the text exchange with WOOD TV. “The challenges and adversity I’ve faced have not only tested me but have strengthened my spirit, deepened my wisdom, and forged resilience in mind, body, and soul.”
“While I recognize the 60 days lost with my family are days I can never regain, the strength we have cultivated—rooted in unwavering love and fortified by resilience—is a gift that no circumstance can take away, nor can this be purchased, it must be experienced and endured,” he wrote. “Whether or not a pardon comes, the intangible rewards of this journey have enriched my life beyond measure. The lessons learned have reshaped me, and my determination has never been more steadfast.”
He continued to suggest the 2020 election was rigged, despite numerous investigations that have uncovered no widespread fraud. He questioned why Biden got so many more votes in 2020 than Vice President Kamala Harris got on Tuesday.
Harris had more than 69 million at last count — about 12 million less than what Biden got.
“Where did they go, were they ever there in the first place?” Kelley wrote. “This is important to know for the future of where the country is going.”
His lawyer has said Kelley was done with politics.
But, in a text, Kelley wrote: “Stay tuned—I may have an announcement on the horizon, looking toward 2026.”
