Investigative journalist Steve Baker was taken into custody on Friday by the FBI for “non-violent misdemeanors” related to his reporting on the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, according to his employer, Blaze Media. This follows Baker’s announcement on Tuesday that the FBI had issued a signed arrest warrant for his “alleged J6 crimes” and that he was ordered to self-surrender to federal authorities in Dallas, Texas.
Baker turned himself in at 7 a.m. on Friday and was transported to the Dallas Courthouse for a 10 a.m. hearing before a Magistrate. He expressed concern about the process, writing online, “My attorneys have also been assured by the gov. that this will be an ‘in and out’ affair and that they have ‘no intention’ of detaining me. But, rather than issuing a simple order to appear, they seem to feel the need to give me a dose of the personal humiliation treatment.”
This incident mirrors the arrests of other journalists who reported on J6 events, including David Medina and Owen Shroyer. Blaze Media stated, “Steve Baker, our investigative journalist, has now been taken into FBI custody for his J6 reporting,” marking the latest development in the legal repercussions for journalists covering the controversial event.
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