The FBI has ordered investigative journalist and Blaze Media correspondent Steve Baker to turn himself in, but he believes the full story is even more corrupt than it sounds. Baker is facing misdemeanor charges connected to his reporting at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. But he still hasn’t been told what the charges are. Steve joins Glenn to lay out how he’ll respond. For starters, the FBI told him to show up in shorts and flip flops so he can be marched out in an orange jumpsuit and leg chains — which is an extremely unprecedented move. But Steve tells Glenn what he’ll wear instead. And he also explains who he believes is really behind his arrest and the prosecution of many others who were at the Capitol: “There is ever more evidence of the insane corruption at the top of the Capitol Police…they are more powerful than Congress itself.”
TranscriptBelow is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Steve, been praying for you this week. I know many members of the audience are doing the same.
This is crazy. What's about to happen to you tomorrow.
STEVE: Yeah. I'm always worried about more my unpaid parking tickets from college.
GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.
You're a nice, gentle, regular guy.
And do you even know what the charges are?
STEVE: No. They haven't told us yet.
GLENN: Is that unusual.
STEVE: No. Back two and a half years ago, when they initially threatened me and said I would be arrested within the week. In November of 21 take it. They actually told my attorney at the time, what the charges are going to be then.
But because I'm a little outspoken and vocal about what's happening with me. We were -- we were told at the time, by an assistant US attorney.
This a judge would not be happy with me, you know, going out to the press, in the manner that I've done. So I just intensified that, accelerated that.
And lit that candle brighter. Yeah, I see the look on your face. I see the look on your face.
GLENN: Yeah. What right is it, for them to say, we're coming after you. And then when you say, hey, by the way. Everybody, they say they're coming after had he.
They haven't said why they're coming after me.
This is all I've done. Why would you be in trouble for defending yourself in the public square?
Because once they arrest you. Well, now you've been arrested we the FBI.
That's a really bad thing. Even if you're innocent.
GLENN: Well, two years ago, the US attorney said to my attorney, that a judge will not look favorably upon this.
To which my attorney responded, are you saying that my client should forego his First Amendment right under the threat of persecution from the federal government?
And she said, oh, no. We're not really saying that. Just, we're concerned for him and his --
GLENN: Oh, they're concerned for you.
STEVE: I kid you not. Now, fast forward two years. Under the current threat. And they won't tell me the charges this time. Literally, quote, unquote, from the US attorney, because he'll tweet it out.
GLENN: Well, what? Yeah. Yeah. We'll do it for you.
STEVE: Yeah. Technical the charges are under seal, until you're actually arrested. So they are technically not in violation of any law.
GLENN: Right.
STEVE: So tomorrow morning, at 7 o'clock, when I arrive at the FBI field office here in Dallas, I will know what my charges are.
GLENN: And how are you supposed to dress? What advice did they give you on that?
STEVE: They notified my attorney that I needed to arrive in shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops.
GLENN: And why is that?
STEVE: It's easier to change into the orange jumpsuit and leg chains.
GLENN: And is that something that everybody does?
When they bust down everybody's door, do they say, hey, change into a T-shirt and flip-flops?
STEVE: I don't think that when they bust in your door, you get that opportunity of choice.
GLENN: Yeah.
When they -- when they invite people to turn themselves in.
I've never seen people turn themselves in. You know --
STEVE: This is exactly what they did to the independent journalist, Stephen Mauren, from Raleigh, North Carolina, coincidentally, where I live.
And when they arrested him, and they brought him in. They did exactly same thing. They put him in an orange jumpsuit, put leg chains on him, and made him March before the magistrate in leg chains, on misdemeanor offenses.
STU: It's one of the interesting parts here. Because you don't know, as you point out, what you're being charged with.
But you do know they're misdemeanors, right?
STEVE: That's what they've told my attorney.
STU: So why on earth would you need to be in leg chains?
We have -- prosecutors all over the country, that won't charge people who have sexually assaulted individuals, with crimes. And they won't hold them.
And they are released the next day.
And they will put you in leg chains for misdemeanors.
STEVE: Well, let's start ourselves with the bigger question. And work our way to that answer.
This is the first time in history, since January 6th, that the FBI is even involving themselves in misdemeanor offenses and misdemeanor defendants.
And swatting misdemeanor defendants. With sometimes 50, 20, 25 agents, swatting misdemeanor. The FBI has never done that, in their history. Until ordered to do so, by Merrick Garland's DOJ, after January 6th.
So fast forward to this.
Why are they doing that?
Why are they requiring -- my attorney told me, when he told me, that this is what they will have me -- requesting that I arrive dressed in flip-flops and shorts.
I said, why are they doing this to me. He said, you know why. He said, you've been poking them in the eye for three years. This is retribution.
GLENN: This is evil. It's just evil.
When you have a government -- I mean, I don't know if you saw the story today from California. But there was a judge in California who said, you can't arrest just people on the right, when Antifa was there.
And they were being violent. Beating up these people.
You arrest the people they were beating up. You don't arrest Antifa. That didn't make any sense at all.
When -- when a -- when a United States government can come after individuals. And, you know, we've been saying this from the beginning.
If they'll do to Trump. You don't think they will do it to you?
STEVE: Well, the selective prosecution is exactly what's happening here.
We have over 60 -- we have documented over 60 journalists that entered through those doors.
Or broken windows.
That day. The fifth person through the broken window that day, was a New York Times reporter.
The New Yorker reporter, Luke Mogelson, went through the broken window. And he paralleled another independent photo journalist. They went through the same window, paralleled the other journalist.
He had spent a lot of time working on the Latinos for Trump campaign.
Well, even though he didn't parade, he didn't do any protesting. He did no chanting. Anything of the sort.
And was contracted at the time, as a video photo journalist for a TV station in Mobile, Alabama.
Even though that was the groundwork laid, four misdemeanors. Swatted by over 20 agents at his home, with the red dots on his wife, his children, and, of course, obviously himself.
At 6:30 in the morning. And then, he was convicted. He said, I will go to -- he said, Luke Mogelson from the New Yorker, we went through the same window at the same time. And he hasn't been charged. I will go stand before a judge. He did a bench trial. He was convicted on all four misdemeanors. And because he went to trial, and he wasted the government's time and resources, not taking the plea deal he was offered.
The judge put him in prison for eight months. Sentenced him to eight months. They put him in a medium security facility, in -- in Georgia. Where after spending the first two months in solitary confinement. And gets out into the general population. He learns from all the other prisoners, that they never put misdemeanor defendants in that prison.
All of the other guys -- actually, they distrusted him. They thought he was some sort of plant inside the prison. They were like, people don't come here for misdemeanors.
You know, we're -- this is what we do for a living. We're pros. We go to prison.
You know, we commit crimes and go to prison for a living. You're not supposed to be here.
He says, well, you are here, if you're a J6 defendant.
GLENN: So mentally, how are you?
STEVE: I have my moments. I'm okay. I -- you know, I've had -- I've had over two years to prepare for this.
I've game planned it all out in my head. I'm not going to sleep tonight. I'm not even going to try.
It is my way. Anyway. And so I'm just going to, you know, prepare. Pray. And then I'm going to put on my suit and tie.
GLENN: Good for you.
STEVE: And walk in with my head up.
GLENN: Good for you. Good for you.
More in just a minute with Steve Baker. He's an investigative journalist. A Blaze media correspondent. He has been -- he's the guy who worked with Congress, to expose the video that was being held back.
And for this, he is being arrested and arraigned tomorrow. In what city?
STEVE: Here in Dallas.
GLENN: Here in Dallas. Will it happen? Will the trial happen here in Texas?
STEVE: We will certainly be filing a motion for change of venue out of DC, but none of those have been granted yet on J6 cases.
GLENN: Jeez. Because they know they can't win, anyplace else.
GLENN: It is -- it's amazing to me, Steve, that I'm doing an interview with a man, that I know is innocent.
Who I know is a journalist.
Who I know just did the job of being a journalist. And tomorrow, it might be your first day going to jail and then prison.
STEVE: You know, I'll correct you on one thing. There are 60 of us that are guilty.
We are guilty of crossing a restricted line, and that is common for law enforcement to allow the press to come inside the police line to document the public interests.
GLENN: I was going to say. Correct.
STEVE: There is no license. There is no credential. There is no press pass on the planet. Or in the United States of America, local, state, or federal, that allows any journalist to cross a restricted line.
But over 60 did.
And only those whose voice is more on the right side of the political spectrum are being prosecuted.
No one from the left.
GLENN: So what is your -- I mean, if you care to share it.
What is your game plan?
STEVE: I think the first thing we have to do is find out who our judge is. That's the most important aspect.
It's the first major piece of the puzzle.
Because the judges and the J6 lottery. Are -- are -- they come in all -- all shapes and sizes and intensities.
So it will depend upon whether we get a hanging judge, or we get one of the more reasonable common sense.
GLENN: Let's say you get a hanging judge, and they offer you a deal.
BRENDAN: That will be very tempting, if it's one of the hanging judges to take the deal.
Because we already know what the threat of not taking the deal is. That would be a superseding indictment that would include a felony. Because they're going to punish you. They don't want to work. They're government employees. They don't want to do a trial.
GLENN: What kind of felony?
What could they come up with this felony?
STEVE: It would be the one that is currently before the Supreme Court. The 15-12, obstruction of an official proceeding.
They could -- well, first of all, show me the man, I'll show you the crime. They could come up with anything.
GLENN: Right.
STEVE: So they could go back on years and years, on tax record. They could do anything. So it's not a matter of what could it possibly be that I did that day?
It's going to be something else. But that is the punishment. And it is the threat. And they have used it in other January 6 cases.
GLENN: Jeez.
STU: I know you've done a lot of work, Steve, going back, when you're doing your reporting. And looking through all these videos. And you've been able to isolate a bunch of really interesting things, that nobody knew about.
GLENN: That exonerate a lot of people.
STU: Exonerate.
GLENN: And take down the police and, you know, whoever they were. FBI agents or whoever they were.
STEVE: And there's more coming. As a matter of fact, I just heard from a senior congressional aid this morning. That there will be a very significant release tomorrow.
That's all -- he gave me permission to say. That I could say on the air today.
And some of that has to do and it intersects with my work.
GLENN: Wow.
STU: My question is. Do we see video of you?
STEVE: Oh, yeah.
STU: Will we see this? I think they want to paint this idea, that you were not a journalist at this event.
And I think it would be pretty clear.
As you said, there's cameras everywhere.
You have to be on camera, all over the place.
Were you doing something different than the New York Times reporters that were there?
STEVE: I am happy to say, that myself and TheBlaze team, back in December, we harvested a day in the life of me.
Capitol CCTV cameras, and we will be showing that.
GLENN: Right. Excellent.
STEVE: Every second of me inside the Capitol, doing my job, never participating in any parading, milling around.
You know, or as they say, picketing.
Protesting. Never chanting. None of that. We have it all on film.
GLENN: That's fantastic. Now -- now, if you have a hanging judge, will that judge allow that to be -- I mean, the fact that these cases have not been overturned. The minute we started seeing video. Where you're like. Wait a minute.
That makes that guy innocent.
And they didn't allow the attorney to have that. Or see that. Or use that.
I mean, it -- the fact that those haven't been overturned yet. Is a real crime.
A real crime.
STEVE: And we're continuing to work on that process. I will tell you, that there is ever more evidence of the insane corruption, at the top of the Capitol Police.
Which is -- which is holding back these -- you know, series of documents that we need.
To bring justice.
In those particular cases, that you're referring to.
They are more powerful, than Congress themself.
I never believed that. I had Capitol police officers, my sources, unnamed, and known.
That have told me, over and over again. You do not understand how powerful the Capitol Police are. So I'm thinking to myself. Okay. Okay. Okay. Right. Right.
And then I talked with Speaker Johnson. And Speaker Johnson tells me, his lips to my ears, he says, I have 100 percent authority over the -- the distribution of those videos. I can -- I can either let them out. Not. It's all on me. And then all of a sudden, they stop. There's not been anything released in weeks. And suddenly, it stops. Get back with my sources. They said, I told you, it's the Capitol Police. Why is the Capitol Police so powerful?
They know where all the bodies are buried. They know who buried them. They know who is sleeping with who.
They know everything.
GLENN: Jeez.
STEVE: And they are -- and they are the personal security guards of Congress. That's why they're so powerful.
GLENN: It's amazing that it was said that this is Nancy Pelosi's police force. The Speaker has control. Well, she might have. But according to you, Johnson doesn't.
STEVE: There's somebody more powerful than him.
GLENN: Hmm. All right.
Best of luck. We'll keep you in your prayer -- in our prayers. And please, please, stay in touch, and tell us how we can help.
STEVE: Well, we're not going to stop working. So I'll tell you that.
GLENN: Thank you.
STU: And we'll try to get you a flip-flop sponsorship.
STEVE: Can we do that?
GLENN: You need an orange jumpsuit to make it even easier for the feds. Call this number.