Independent reporter Cam Higby immediately responded to an attack by a violent left-wing agitator while hanging out with friends in his MAGA hat at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Friday.Video of the incident posted online shows a black man lunging at Higby and knocking him out of his stadium chair, after which Higby pursued the man and doused his face with mace.
After being maced, the attacker stumbled around for a few moments before bending over in the grass and struggling to see and breathe.
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It’s not clear whether police were called or if any arrests were made.
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has opened a federal investigation into the Portland Police Bureau following the arrest of conservative journalist and influencer Nick Sortor, in a move that could reignite longstanding tensions between federal officials and local authorities over protest enforcement in Oregon’s largest, but troubled, city.
Sortor, who has frequently covered demonstrations and immigration enforcement issues, was arrested Thursday night outside Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. He was charged with second-degree disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, after what police described as interference during ongoing protests.
Sortor said he was assaulted by agitators and had his camera destroyed before being taken into custody by police, KOIN reported.
On Friday morning, Sortor announced on social media that Bondi would be investigating the arrest. The Justice Department later confirmed the inquiry, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the case highlights broader concerns about political targeting.
“This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city,” Leavitt said at the daily briefing. “It is not their city; it is the American people’s city, and President Trump is going to restore that.”
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, formally notified Portland officials of the investigation Friday. Dhillon’s letter accused the bureau of possible “viewpoint discrimination” in its protest enforcement, citing both Sortor’s arrest and a violent assault earlier in the week on conservative journalist Katie Daviscourt.
Daviscourt was reporting outside the ICE facility on Tuesday night when a woman waving a flagpole struck her in the face, causing a black eye, concussion and eye hemorrhage. Although the attacker was reportedly identified to officers at the scene, police did not make an arrest, The Post Millennial reported.
Dhillon contrasted that with Sortor’s detention two days later. “PPB reportedly arrested individuals who may have been involved in an altercation, choosing to arrest Nick Sortor but not others,” she wrote. “PPB reportedly failed to identify or arrest individuals who allegedly assaulted Katie Daviscourt, even after briefly detaining the individuals.”
In addition, Dhillon’s letter raised concerns over zoning enforcement disputes between the city and federal authorities over the ICE facility, suggesting the city may have attempted to use local power in a way that hindered federal immigration enforcement.
