DETROIT — A federal judge Wednesday said former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley will stand trial July 31 in Washington on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol after prosecutors and Kelley failed to negotiate a plea deal.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper set the trial date after repeatedly giving both sides time to negotiate a potential plea deal in one of the more high-profile cases among the more than 948 people nationwide charged with Jan. 6 crimes. Kelley has called his arrest a "political witch hunt" and denied that he ever entered the Capitol building during the riot.
Kelley, who supported former President Donald Trump, is charged with misdemeanors. He’s accused of disruptive conduct, injuring public property and entering restricted space without permission on Jan. 6, 2021.
