MAGA Republican Joe Kent Got Donations From Alleged Jan. 6 Rioter

Carlos Ayala gave the Washington state Republican $8,600 over the course of the 2022 election cycle.

Joe Kent, a right-wing Republican who is vying for a rematch against Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), received $8,600 in campaign donations from an accused Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol rioter facing felony and misdemeanor charges.

The Department of Justice announced earlier this month that it was charging Salisbury, Maryland, resident Carlos Ayala with civil disorder, a felony, as well as several misdemeanors, including knowingly entering a restricted building, and knowingly engaging in disruptive conduct designed to interfere with government business. Ayala’s arrest prompted him to resign from his post as a Republican member of the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Ayala, who was wearing a painter’s mask and America-flag hoodie, stands accused of climbing over police barricades and poking his “We the People” flag at a U.S. Capitol Police officer guarding an entrance to the U.S. Capitol building. Later, when the door to the building was forced open, Ayala allegedly threw the PVC pipe that had served as his flagpole into the building where it struck an officer.

Later in 2021, Ayala, stepson to the former CEO of Perdue Farms, began contributing significant sums to Kent’s congressional campaign. In total, Ayala contributed $8,600 to Kent’s 2022 campaign. That total includes $5,600 in direct contributions, and another $3,000 to Kent’s joint victory fund – an account with fewer limits that Kent is using to finance his current run as well.

The Kent campaign does not plan to return the money to Ayala. “Joe Kent believes in due process,” campaign spokesperson Erin Van Natta said in a statement to HuffPost. “Mr. Ayala is innocent until proven guilty.”