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 said he was assaulted by agitators and had his camera destroyed before being taken into custody by police, KOIN News 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.
The Justice Department is seeking body camera footage, unredacted reports and internal reviews related to both incidents, as well as complaints or administrative documents tied to the city’s actions toward the ICE facility. Portland police have until October 10 to comply.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day responded Friday, emphasizing that his department has long been under federal oversight. The Justice Department has monitored PPB since 2012 under a settlement agreement tied to excessive force allegations.
“The actions and steps that we are taking now in the enforcement action around protest activity are actually designed and supported by the partnership of the Department of Justice,” Day said. “I welcome the scrutiny. I am proud of the men and women and the work we’re doing.”
Day denied that political considerations factor into police decision-making.
“The irony here is we were condemned in 2020 for our approach toward the left, and now we’re being condemned in 2025 for our approach toward the right,” he said. “So I would say we’ve landed right in the middle of the fairway.”
