Former President Donald Trump’s claim that the Biden administration has weaponized the Department of Justice (DOJ) against political enemies has gained credence after the recent arrest of a journalist at The Blaze.
Two weeks ago, Blaze reporter Steve Baker reported that the FBI ordered him to “self-surrender” in connection with his reporting on the Jan. 6, 2021, protest and breach of the Capitol.
Baker’s attorney, James Lee Bright, said the “very unusual” order followed his receiving “threatening communications” from the FBI and DOJ late last year.
The Blaze reported that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has responded to Baker’s arrest by demanding answers from DOJ officials.
Independent reporter Breanna Morello shared that Jordan’s letter alleges Baker’s arrest was unwarranted and demands the DOJ surrender copies of all files and correspondence related to the investigation of Baker and all defendants charged in connection to the events of January 6.
EXCLUSIVE: The @JudiciaryGOP is launching an investigation into the DOJ’s treatment of @theblaze journalist Steve Baker and other January 6 defendants.
In a letter sent by @Jim_Jordan to U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, Jordan is asking for internal… pic.twitter.com/bR2nbjoyvo
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) March 12, 2024
Jordan’s demand letter to the DOJ expressed his “serious concerns” regarding what appears to be “selective prosecution” and the DOJ’s rejection of “the First Amendment rights of journalists.”
Jordan noted that liberal journalists, who, like Baker were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but have not been charged.
The Judiciary Committee chairman also echoed Baker’s attorney who said the DOJ “is not allowed to decide what press coverage it likes and what press coverage offends it and take prosecutorial action based on those judgments.”
Jordan criticized the FBI by noting that Baker was not just processed for questioning, he was “subjected to formal arrest … fingerprinted, photographed, handcuffed” and placed “in the back of an FBI vehicle … and brought him before the magistrate judge in a ‘belly chain, box cuffs, and leg shackles.’”
Jordan concluded his letter stating, “This conduct smacks of harassment and selective treatment for a disfavored criminal defendant.”
The letter followed the disclosure that the J6 Congressional Committee withheld critical information from their report.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) said: “The former J6 Select Committee apparently withheld…critical witness testimony from the American people because it contradicted their pre-determined narrative.”
Loudermilk added: “Mr. Ornato’s testimony proves what Mr. Meadows has said all along: President Trump did in fact offer 10,000 National Guard troops to secure the U.S. Capitol, which was turned down.”
