FBI agents escorted a handcuffed Steve Baker, an investigative reporter at The Blaze, following his reporting on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The FBI issued a signed arrest warrant ordering Baker to self-surrender Friday to a Dallas courthouse relating to his presence at the riot, according to Baker’s Twitter thread from Tuesday. He worked as an independent journalist at the time and said he did not commit any property damage and only entered the U.S. Capitol building after the Senate and House were evacuated, according to Baker’s Oct. 2, 2023 piece on the matter.
Two agents can be seen in the video walking a handcuffed Baker to a dark grey vehicle and seating him in the backseat Friday morning.
Blaze Media Investigative Journalist @TPC4USA has now been taken into FBI custody for his J6 reporting
Watch: pic.twitter.com/OF9WVh26ER
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 1, 2024
Baker’s attorneys received “threats” from the FBI on Nov. 21, 2023, and Dec. 23, 2023, respectively, about Baker’s upcoming arrest. They reportedly told Baker and his legal team that he is being charged with “non-violent misdemeanors,” including charges for “interstate racketeering and property damage,” according to his previous piece. (RELATED: ‘Absolute Chilling Effect’: Conservative Reporter Says FBI Plans To Arrest Him Over Jan 6 Stories)
At the time of his notification Tuesday, Baker said he did not know the specific charges being handed to him, according to The Blaze. His attorney, James Lee Bright, said the non-disclosure is “really unusual.”
We do not yet know the specific charges. Technically … they are still “under seal” until the warrant is served. All else is as yet unknown. By this weekend, I will officially be a misdemeanor domestic journo-terrorist. (Something like that.) And so it begins.⬇️
— Steve Baker – TPC (@TPC4USA) February 28, 2024
In January, attorneys representing Baker told The Blaze that the Justice Department could be organizing a “retaliation” against him over breaking two “greatly embarrassing” stories about the DOJ.
“They didn’t have to go this route,” Baker told The Blaze in a Tuesday statement. “We have been told that my charges are only misdemeanors. And my attorneys have been assured that this will be an ‘in and out’ affair with ‘no intention’ to detain me. But rather than issuing a simple order to appear, they went the ‘arrest warrant’ route.”
While we defend a great journalist & great friend, @TPC4USA, we also seek to restore @ruleoflaw and reseat enforcement back 2 within historical norms as we beseech current career public servants to implement reforms from within to restore these great institutions. #Jan6 #jan6th pic.twitter.com/iEhcq38q6W
— Brad Geyer (@BradGeyer) January 22, 2024
“I’m not a depressive person, but I’m not happy about this,” Baker continued. “I have prayed, ‘Lord, let this cup pass from me,’ but apparently it’s not going to.”