Portland Arrest of Conservative Influencer Sparks DOJ Investigation Into Police Bias

PORTLAND, Ore. — Shortly after his release from a Portland jail earlier this week, independentconservative online journalist and influencer Nicholas Sortor posted on social media that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will investigate his arrest by Portland Police Bureau officers.

In his post, Sortor states that the PPB ‘made a big freaking mistake’ by arresting him. He goes on to describe the PPB as corrupt and controlled by ‘violent Antifa thugs,’ and says the investigation will be headed by Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights.

PPB Chief Told His Department Could be Engaging in Viewpoint Discrimination

Dhillon posted a letter on social media addressed to the Portland Police Chief, Bob Day, and to the city attorney, alleging that the city could be using the PPB to engage in ‘viewpoint discrimination.’ He also called on the city to hand over body-camera footage and other documents.

Sortor (27), of Washington, D.C., was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor offense. Videos show Sortor, dressed in a gray hoodie, being handcuffed and led away by PPB bike squad officers. He was booked around midnight and released before 6 a.m.

According to a Fox News correspondent who interviewed Sortor shortly after his release, the social media influencer was filming federal agents using chemical spray on protesters. Other footage shows Sortor grabbing a burning American flag from a protester. He then extinguished the flames.

Sortor claims that Antifa controls Portland and that President Trump must intervene.