Attorney General Pam Bondi has initiated a full investigation into the Portland Police Bureau following the arrest of conservative journalist Nick Sotor outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday night. The incident occurred as Sotor was peacefully covering protests near the facility and reportedly rescued an American flag that had been set ablaze. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon is leading the probe.
Sotor was arrested after intervening to extinguish flames on the flag, according to journalist Bill Melugin, who witnessed the event. Antifa agitators later surrounded Sotor and verbally threatened him before his arrest. Sotor claimed he was charged with disorderly conduct but alleged that officers ignored his pleas for assistance as he was attacked. He described being punched, having his camera destroyed, and attempting to flee toward police, only to be handcuffed.
Sotor later asserted the arrest would “backfire on them tremendously,” claiming the Portland Police Bureau is “corrupt” and “controlled by violent Antifa thugs.” The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly increased federal resources in Portland, while the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced President Trump’s order to deploy “all necessary troops” to counter “radical left’s reign of terror” in the city.
Leavitt criticized Portland police for failing to arrest a suspect who assaulted journalist Katie Daviscourt days earlier, describing the protests as “left-wing anarchy” that has targeted ICE facilities with violence, including the use of explosives and a guillotine. Assistant AG Dhillon demanded documents related to Sotor’s arrest and the refusal to prosecute Daviscourt’s attacker, stating, “Portland: it’s FO time. Buckle up.”
The Portland Police Bureau released a statement emphasizing that arrests are based on observed behavior and probable cause, not political affiliation. Sotor later tweeted, “You made a big freaking mistake,” insisting the incident proves systemic corruption.
