Conservative commentator Nick Sortor, known for his MAGA-aligned reporting and frequent appearances on Fox News, was arrested in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday night outside the city's Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. Sortor, 27, claims his arrest was unjustified and motivated by his political views.
Sortor told Fox News on Saturday that he had been harassed by a group he described as 'Antifa thugs' before being detained. 'They say when they make arrests based on observed behavior. I believe, in these circumstances, that “observed behavior” was being a conservative, if I’m being totally honest with you,' he said.
Portland police stated that they moved into the crowd to make arrests as fights broke out, detaining Sortor and two others. Video footage from the incident shows Sortor grabbing an American flag that had been set on fire and stamping out the flames, as well as being verbally abused by protesters.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticised the arrest, calling it 'extremely troubling' and stating that Sortor had been 'ambushed by Antifa and was defending himself from these assaults.' She added, 'Instead of arresting these violent mob members... the police arrested a journalist who was there trying to document the chaos.'
Sortor had been posting on social media about Portland, describing it as a 'third world hellhole' and claiming 'Antifa is in full control out here.' The incident comes amid reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth considered deploying the Army’s 82nd Airborne to Portland to address what President Trump called 'lawless mayhem.'
