Tomorrow at 10am, known and charged insurrectionist Ryan Kelley will once again appear in federal court. This time, it’s to be arraigned for the multiple criminal charges stemming from his participation in the violent insurrection on January 6th that resulted in five deaths and 140 injured law enforcement officers.
Given these developments, the Republican candidate for governor has established a legal defense fund with a goal of $50,000. The day he was arrested by the FBI during a raid on his home, all four of Kelley’s opponents “rushed” to his defense:
- Kevin Rinke, who has already put his millions behind a patently false TV ad broadcasting debunked election conspiracy theories, said he “respect[s] Ryan Kelley” and suggested that the FBI wasn’t “acting appropriately” in prosecuting his actions as an insurrectionist.
- Garrett Soldano explicitly accused the FBI of being “an arm of the Democrat Party” and “intimidating Republicans.”
- Tudor Dixon echoed Soldano, stating that Kelley’s arrest was “another example of political prosecution by a Democrat Party notorious for weaponizing government.”
- Ralph Rebandt went so far as to issue a lengthy statement on the matter, saying that this was just the latest step in a crusade by “the left” to “politicize everything.”
Michiganders deserve to know which of these Republicans backed up their full-throated statements with financial contributions to Kelley’s defense fund.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“Moments after Ryan Kelley was arrested for his participation in the violent January 6th insurrection, fellow Republican gubernatorial candidates Kevin Rinke, Garrett Soldano, Tudor Dixon, and Ralph Rebandt tripped over themselves to show solidarity. Michiganders should know if they also put their money where their mouth is with a contribution to Kelley’s unaccountable defense fund.”
