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Blaze Reporter Arrested and Perp Walked By FBI in Dallas; Charged With J6 Misdemeanors

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Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker was forced to turn himself in to the FBI field office in Dallas Friday morning over misdemeanor charges related to his January 6 reporting. The reporter was taken into custody, placed in handcuffs and perp-walked to the car that transported him to the Dallas courthouse for a 10:00 am hearing before the magistrate.

He was charged with “entering restricted grounds,” “disorderly conduct,” and “parading and picketing in the Capitol.”

 

The charges against Baker come after the dogged journalist broke major stories involving U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Capitol Police Special Agent David Lazarus.

“Steve’s actions on January 6 have been known to the Department of Justice for 3 years,” Baker’s attorneys said in a January press release. “But it is only now—after Steve has broken two major stories greatly embarrassing to the DOJ — that he is possibly being targeted for arrest and possibly felony prosecution. Any action taken to put him in handcuffs, hold him in custody, and have him transported to court by federal law enforcement will be nothing other than retaliation for his recent reporting.”

A federal prosecutor had reportedly informed Baker’s attorney last week that he was to arrive at the field office wearing “shorts and sandals.” Baker told Blaze media that meant the feds were planning to take the “humiliation” route by placing him in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffing him, and doing the “prisoner transport routine.”

“They didn’t have to go this route,” Baker told Blaze News last week. “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.”

Baker said the charges against him were kept secret from him and his lawyer because the feds believed he would post them on social media. Baker’s Dallas attorney, James Lee Bright, told Blaze News that withholding the nature of the charges against his client is a “really unusual” move.

“I’m going to pray, and then I’m going to put on my suit and tie and walk in with my head up,” he said.

Baker turned himself in at 7:00 am wearing his suit and tie.

The case was assigned to Judge Michael Harvey in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

“HE WAS DOING HIS JOB AS A JOURNALIST,” wrote Blaze colleague Sarah Gonzalez on X.

Former FBI agent/whistleblower Steve Friend blasted the FBI case agent Craig Noyes.

“Noyes will drive to his 3600 square foot home valued at roughly $800k in Raleigh, NC.,” said Friend, who is now a senior fellow at the Center for Renewing America.  “He ‘just followed orders’ like a good German and facilitated this miscarriage of justice. He is a disgrace who deserves to lose everything,” said Friend, who was suspended from the FBI for refusing to participate in unconstitutional raids against J6ers.

“The FBI’s Craig Noyes is a stain on our Constitutional Oath,” added former FBI agent/whistleblower Garrett O’Boyle. “Is this really why the government pays Craig $135,000 a year?”

In a subsequent post on X, Friend accused the Bureau of weaponizing the process and called for the FBI to be defunded.

“The FBI used a complaint to charge Baker with 4 misdemeanors,” the former agent explained. “So after more than 3 years, they couldn’t even bother to go through a grand jury process. The complaint “forced” them to arrest Steve instead of issue a summons. This is weaponized government. Defund the FBI.”

Baker told Blaze News that he expected to be released after the proceedings as there was no request to the court for detention.

“We do not know if there will be pretrial travel restrictions, although that has been the norm for J6 defendants—even for misdemeanor defendants,” Baker also said. “It has also been universal that no J6ers are allowed to travel to Washington, D.C., which for obvious reasons will have a deleterious impact on my work. We also do not know if there will be any other accompanying restrictions or orders: gag order from talking about my case, no social media, limited social media, order to surrender devices and/or firearms. All unknowns.”

Bright said that he was “disturbed” about how his client was being treated, especially since Baker had been “in full compliance” all this time. Bright also told Blaze Media that the feds “three-plus years later going after people who were legitimate functioning journalists that day” appeared designed to have an “absolute chilling effect.”

Out of the many journalists covering the events at the Capitol that day,  only conservative reporters have been targeted by the feds.

“I’m not a depressive person, but I’m not happy about this,” Baker added to Blaze News. “I have prayed, ‘Lord, let this cup pass from me,’ but apparently it’s not going to.” However, he also said it would be a “relief” to get the first of his persecution over with.

Update:

After his three hour ordeal at the courthouse, Baker was asked how he felt.

“To be honest, I don’t feel good right now,” he told reporter Breanna Morello. “I’m still processing the humiliation I was just put through. This was the most humiliated I have ever been in my life,” he said.  “And it’s for doing something that I believe I was supposed to be doing back three years ago on January 6.”

“I was put in leg chains today!” Bake exclaimed. “Something I never thought would ever happen to me.”

Morello said that the U.S. Marshalls who fingerprinted Baker looked at his charging documents and said “this is bullshit.”

In a sidewalk interview following his court appearance, Baker noted that he was the only one forced to wear leg irons to court, as a humiliation tactic. Violent felons, he noted,  were treated with more respect.

Vivek Ramaswamy had a word for Democrats who obsess about “dangers to out democracy.”

“Those who pontificate about “threats to our democracy” should take a hard look at the threats to freedom of the press,” he said on X.

 

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About Debra Heine

Debra Heine is a conservative Catholic mom of six and longtime political pundit. She has written for several conservative news websites over the years, including Breitbart and PJ Media.

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