Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker was acquitted Wednesday of four nonviolent misdemeanor charges brought against him by the Justice Department in connection with his coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. He insisted.
What is your background?
Mr. Baker is seeking the truth about what was happening behind the scenes in connection with the events of January 6th, and believes the U.S. government is targeting him for it.
Now, after receiving instructions from the FBI, Baker arrived at the FBI field office in Dallas on March 1 and turned himself in. He was then arrested, handcuffed and charged.
The charges against him are:
- knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority;
- Disorderly and disruptive behavior in restricted buildings or grounds
- Acts that disrupt the order inside the National Diet Building
- Parades, demonstrations, and picketing inside the Capitol
Baker and others have condemned the charges. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) himself chimed in last month with an op-ed asking, “Where’s the anger over Steve Baker’s indictment?”
Additionally, shortly after Baker’s arrest, Blaze Media released never-before-seen information. video It shows Mr. Baker’s movements in and around the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and appears to be in stark contrast to the stories the federal government has spread about him.
The 47-minute video includes recordings from Baker’s cell phone camera that recorded what happened inside the Capitol, as well as newly released footage from CCTV cameras in the Capitol that BlazeTV obtained primarily through Loudermilk’s efforts. Contains footage. He and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) have made it a priority to provide access to the Jan. 6 video.
This is an unfiltered video of Baker just before he entered the Capitol that day, his movements inside the building, and after he left. Content warning: Language:
Steve Baker inside the Capitol on January 6thyoutube.be
Mr Baker discussed his legal issues in two commentaries published in Blaze News in October (here and here), following his work as an independent journalist on January 6 before joining Blaze. details of the federal investigation. news.
What happened at Wednesday’s hearing?
Baker told Blaze News that Wednesday’s virtual hearing was his first before federal judge Christopher R. Cooper in Washington, D.C., who last week ordered Baker to “comply” with the terms of his release. He has always complied.
Baker told Blaze News there was “considerable discussion” during the hearing about the pretrial restrictions placed on him in relation to Cooper’s compliance order.
Baker previously told Blaze News that among his restrictions, he is not allowed to possess a firearm and must report all contact with law enforcement to a pretrial services officer. He said that this can be mentioned. However, this poses two problems for Baker. He told Blaze His News that he carries the gun in self-defense because he has received threats online. Another thing is that Blaze does talk to law enforcement officers as part of his job on the news, but it’s done in secret.
An optimistic Baker told Blaze News on Thursday that despite apparent past communication problems between pretrial services officials in Washington, D.C., and his home state of North Carolina, it was clear that Cooper’s order Baker said at the hearing that it appeared to be a contributing factor to his compliance, even though he thought it was unnecessary. Things seem to be heading in the right direction now.
“Frankly, I was very surprised by the cooperative nature of the government’s response to my pretrial release conditions and willingness to modify the wording due to my unique circumstances as a working journalist.” I’m satisfied. Unlike all the other J6 defendants, I have no travel restrictions, either to Washington, D.C. or overseas — and the government is working with my lawyers to protect my It seeks to amend the language of certain restrictions that impede ongoing investigations. Including those related to corruption in specific government agencies.
“The inference is that they don’t want to get into these fights because they know that I’m going to publicize every judgment and that more attention is likely to be on this fight than on any other J6 case. Both Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Dreher and Judge Cooper seem to have a very good attitude.”This applies not only to my pretrial conditions, but also to discovery matters that are normally under a court order of protection.” is also relevant and I already had access to it and could have had access to it. I have received permission from Congress to publish the results of my ongoing research.
“The most interesting moment of yesterday’s hearing was when my attorney brought up the issue of discovery, protective orders, and my unique access to all this information through a Congressional committee. Judge Cooper said, ‘ What does Mr. Baker do for a living?” My lawyer, William Shipley, replied, “He’s a journalist with Blaze Media.” Cooper seemed really surprised to hear that, and I was really surprised that the government hadn’t informed Cooper of my occupation yet. ”
Baker said the next hearing is scheduled for June 3.
What has Baker revealed so far?
Baker began investigative reporting for Blaze News last fall. His first analysis of Jan. 6 for Blaze News came last year after spending countless hours in House subcommittee offices poring over frame after frame of the Jan. 6 closed-circuit video. It was held in October. Oath Keeper trial?
Mr. Baker’s investigative work also led to two additional analyzes focusing on Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. “January 6th and the N-word it wasn’t” and “Harry Dunn’s description of January 6th doesn’t add up. At all.”
In December, Baker claimed to have discovered significant misconduct involving Dunn, the Capitol Police, the media and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
In January, Mr. Baker claimed that Mr. Lazarus had given false testimony in the Oath Keepers trial in a newly released Jan. 6 closed-circuit television video clip from the U.S. Capitol.
Proof of perjury | The truth of January 6thyoutube.be
Also in January, Baker and others asked what the U.S. government had to hide about the pipe bomb discovered at Democratic National Committee headquarters on January 6th. In February, Baker wrote another analysis entitled “Capitol Police diverted all but one CCTV camera from DNC pipe bomb investigation,” and later that month, Kamala Harris released a I asked him why he was at the DNC and not at the Capitol.
Last month, Representative Loudermilk, who chairs the House Government Oversight Subcommittee, told Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck why the FBI and Department of Justice are pursuing Baker over his Jan. 6 reporting. said it’s because “he’s onto something.” The federal government wants to keep it secret.
Additionally, Republican House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan launched an investigation into the Justice Department last month into Baker’s treatment. In a scathing letter dated March 12 to District of Columbia Attorney Matthew Graves, Jordan called out the Justice Department’s “selective prosecution” of Baker’s arrest and “the First Amendment rights of journalists. It outlined “serious concerns” about the department’s commitment to human rights.
In his letter, Jordan requested that Graves provide the following by no later than 5 p.m. on March 26:
- All documents and communications related to Baker’s arrest.
- All documents and communications related to the investigation, prosecution, and arrest of other journalists who covered January 6th.
- All documents and communications related to the Department of Justice’s decision to require pretrial detention of defendants charged in connection with January 6th and those who are currently or were in pretrial detention on January 6th.
Jordan’s letter concludes by reminding Graves that the Judiciary Committee has “oversight authority” over the Justice Department on matters “related to civil liberties.”
Baker told Blaze News on Thursday that Jordan’s request has not yet been met, according to Judiciary Committee officials.
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