It is somewhat rare to receive news that the author of the book you’re currently reading has been arrested. But while recently scrolling through Twitter, I learned that Max Blumenthal, author of “The Management of Savagery”, was arrested by Washington D.C. police on the morning of October 25, 2019.

In a SWAT-style raid, Blumenthal’s residence was surrounded by local police, some of whom threatened to break down his door. The arrest warrant listed him as “armed and dangerous” — a comically absurd claim clearly meant to elicit an intimidating response by law enforcement. After a dangerous ride in the back of a squad car, the author was subjected to 36 hours of detainment and denied access to legal counsel. In subsequent appearances on The Jimmy Dore Show and Aaron Maté’s Pushback, Blumenthal recounted the details of this draconian incident.

The charge — simple assault — was based on a five-month-old warrant (which was initially rejected and later revived without Blumenthal’s knowledge) related to an attempt to deliver food to the besieged Venezuelan embassy. Specifically, right-wing Venezuelan opposition activist Naylet Pacheco accused Blumenthal of kicking her in the stomach in an alleged incident on May 7, 2019.

Blumenthal wholeheartedly denies this charge, referring to it as “fabricated” and a “malicious lie.” Furthermore, Blumenthal believes this targeting is an act of political persecution due to his adversarial investigative reporting. “It is clearly part of a campaign of political persecution designed to silence me and The Grayzone for our factual journalism exposing the deceptions, corruption and violence of the far-right Venezuelan opposition,” Blumenthal stated.

In the wake of a U.S.-backed coup attempt, supporters and members of the right-wing Venezuelan political opposition engaged in an illegal siege of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington D.C. Their vicious violence, racism, and sexism was well documented, which makes this charge leveled against Blumenthal seem like pure projection.

In an October 28 statement, the National Lawyers Guild International Committee (NLGIC) strongly condemned Blumenthal’s arrest. After providing an overview of the case, NLGIC joined the journalist “in noting that his arrest took place hours after The Grayzone issued a report on USAID funding to lobbyists for the Venezuelan opposition.” The statement continued by observing that the arrest “appears to be a form of retaliation practiced against both embassy protection activists and critical journalists for their opposition to the U.S.’ unlawful intervention in Venezuela, support for an attempted coup and unilateral coercive economic sanctions directed against the country.”

As noted by Joe Emersberger at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the press and relevant NGOs have largely ignored this “troubling encroachment on freedom of the press.” In the Trump era, when #Resistance Democrats constantly clamor about “authoritarianism” and “attacks on the press,” you’d think the mainstream media would at least mention this chilling episode. But a quick online search confirmed a nearly ubiquitous silence.