pipe-bomb investigation has been stymied by internal censorship, threats of legal action
Independent investigative journalists Steve Baker and Joseph M. Hanneman — formerly of Blaze Media — plan to establish their own publishing platform to pursue Jan. 6 investigations free of the ongoing risk of censorship.
“Our investigation into the Jan. 6 pipe-bomb conspiracy has been slowed by internal censorship due to threatened litigation against Blaze Media,” Baker said. “We need to be able to pursue the facts wherever they lead. That has become nearly impossible in recent months.”
The new reporting platform will be called Veritas Regnat, Latin for “Truth Reigns.” A dedicated website and social media channels are in development.
‘There has been an effort to prevent us from getting to the full truth of the pipe-bomb conspiracy.’
The journalists have launched a GiveSendGo campaign to help fund their four-person investigative team. The group currently includes the two journalists, a technical analyst, and a retired FBI special agent with more than 25 years of experience. The hope is to add more investigators shortly.
“Our work has been mischaracterized for five months,” Hanneman added. “There has been an effort to prevent us from getting to the full truth of the pipe-bomb conspiracy. We feel the best way to combat this is to go independent.”
Internally, the journalists were put under severe content restrictions, such as not mentioning in stories the name of Shauni Kerkhoff, the former USCP officer named in our Nov. 8 investigation as a forensic match to the hoodie-clad bomb suspect shown on FBI video since 2021.
In early November, FBI Director Kash Patel phoned Blaze founder Glenn Beck and sought to have Baker fired. This was days before Baker appeared on the Glenn Beck Program to promote the Nov. 8 investigative article.
Baker said intelligence-community sources have told him that his and Hanneman’s communications are being monitored — and their safety is at risk just for continuing the pipe-bomb investigation.
A career federal agent who was assisting the Blaze with its pipe-bombs investigation died suddenly under suspicious circumstances just before Thanksgiving. His death will be part of the team’s ongoing investigation and the subject of future stories.
Within hours of leaving Washington D.C. Dec. 20 while working on the pipe-bombs case, Baker suffered sudden acute heart failure requiring repeated surgical procedures. Baker said he is working with heart specialists to determine if his sudden cardiac failure was related to the pipe-bomb investigation and threats he received.
Baker was arrested and prosecuted by the Biden Department of Justice for being at the U.S. Capitol as a journalist on Jan. 6, 2021. After Donald J. Trump won the 2024 presidential election, the criminal case against Baker was dismissed with prejudice under the terms of Trump’s Pardon Declaration.
Hanneman has worked in journalism, communications and marketing for more than 42 years. He co-wrote and starred in three Jan. 6 documentaries while a senior investigative reporter for The Epoch Times. His previous journalism posts were at The Catholic World Report, The Chicago Tribune, the Wisconsin State Journal and the Racine Journal Times. •