Left and Right Agree: Feds Using Brute Force to Destroy Press Freedom in America

In yet another shocking case of the feds using brute, tyrannical power against protesters, law enforcement arrested radio-host Pete Santilli at the Oregon federal refuge several weeks ago and a federal judge just ruled again that he must stay behind bars. Why? Because the journalist is a “real threat” to federal officers.

Many civil libertarians on both sides of the political aisle are disgusted by this latest strong arm tactic with both the conservative Rutherford Institute and now the leftist ACLU of Oregon complaining that federal agencies are increasingly acting without regard to the Constitution.

No matter what you may think of Pete Santilli or his “shock jock” approach to conservative journalism, looking at the criminal complaint against him reflects that before his arrest he was practicing his rights to free speech and assembly in protest against the government. Throughout the federal complaint are Santilli’s quotes, including one where he asked that 100,000 unarmed people come together to protest government actions. Somehow, this was construed by the feds as a criminal act meant to impede their duties rather than a constitutionally-protected gathering of protesters.

Santilli’s past association with the Oath Keepers and the III% Patriots group seems to be a big factor for the U.S. attorneys involved in the case. The feds view such groups as “anti-government” patriot groups, almost on the level of terrorists. Perhaps as a warning to any patriot-protestor, Washington has demonstrated that mere association with the wrong type of groups or saying anything against the government could result in your incarceration.

To some, more disturbing than the Santilli arrest and incarceration themselves are the tactics that were used by the government before the talk show host was even arrested. First, in a clear act of intimidation, he and his girlfriend Deborah Jordan (and co-producer of his radio show) were detained for about an hour in Newtown, Ohio for being suspects on a Terror Watch list. Unsurprisingly, they were not on the list and were released. Some believe that this detention, occurring just a couple of weeks before Santilli’s arrival in Oregon was meant to bully or intimidate him from joining the protest.

Then, on February 9, the rental vehicle driven by Santilli’s girlfriend was seized because it was reported as “stolen.” She called the rental company for more information and discovered that the FBI had made the report that resulted in seizure. The FBI’s explanation? The agency contended the rental car might be used in a crime at the federal refuge. As she had been planning to travel there the next day, this suggests the FBI had been monitoring her activities and that the false report on the car was intended to interfere or harass her.

The Rutherford Institute is raising concerns not just about Santilli’s case but also other protests in which the government has targeted journalists (such as in Ferguson). The conservative legal group contends this reflects a highly disturbing trend of government silencing members of the press. Combine that with what we’ve seen of other anti-press actions of the feds – such as the hacking of journalist Sharyl Attkisson’s computer – and you can’t escape the conclusion that we have a real problem on our hands.

Please contact your elected leaders and pressure them to hold these federal agencies and prosecutors accountable for their unconstitutional approach to press freedom. This is critical: if federal agencies don’t stop their attacks on freedom, you can kiss the American democratic experiment goodbye.

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.