Charlottesville protest organizer indicted on perjury charge

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The main organizer of a white nationalist rally in Virginia has been indicted on a felony perjury charge stemming from an unrelated incident earlier in the year.

Local media report a grand jury in Albemarle County issued an indictment Monday for Jason Kessler. He’s a Charlottesville blogger who planned the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally, which descended into violent chaos.

According to TV station WCAV , court records show the charge stems from a sworn statement Kessler made in January, alleging he was punched while trying to gather signatures for a petition to remove a city councilman. Kessler later pleaded guilty to assaulting the man he had accused.

A call to Kessler on Tuesday rang unanswered. Court records don’t list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.