By Don Matthews | April 4, 2025
SALT LAKE CITY, UT — In a searing new video published to YouTube, investigative journalist and constitutional rights activist Matthew Reardon has publicly read aloud his second sworn declaration—known as Exhibit D—which alleges chilling misconduct by the FBI and paints a disturbing picture of federal retaliation against whistleblowers and journalists.
The declaration, dated April 1, 2025, chronicles events from just 48 hours prior—when Reardon visited the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office on March 31st in an attempt to hand-deliver his first sworn affidavit, which accused Oxford, Mississippi Police Captain Hildon Sessums of civil rights violations, unlawful surveillance, and interstate retaliation.
What followed, according to Reardon’s detailed testimony, was a coordinated attempt to silence and intimidate him. Rather than accept the affidavit, FBI agents demanded he submit to a background check—an unconstitutional requirement, Reardon says, that he flatly refused. Agents then threatened him with arrest, ordered him off federal property, and recorded his license plate as he stood in a public visitor parking lot peacefully reading from his original statement on camera. See the article at https://www.wtpnews.org/fbi-threatens-journalist/
That encounter sparked the creation of Exhibit D, Reardon’s second formal declaration—this time documenting the FBI’s own conduct on March 31st. The declaration has now been entered into his federal civil rights lawsuit, submitted to multiple U.S. Senators, and sent to the DOJ Office of Inspector General.
“This isn’t just about what happened to me,” Reardon said. “This is about a dangerous precedent—where the federal government uses intimidation and surveillance to suppress dissent, silence journalists, and shield its own from accountability.”
Reardon alleges that the FBI’s refusal to accept evidence, coupled with its treatment of him during his visit, reflects a pattern of deliberate indifference to government misconduct—particularly in cases involving former FBI Academy affiliates like Captain Sessums. The declaration also raises the possibility that the FBI may be coordinating or sharing surveillance data with Oxford PD, who Reardon is suing in a high-stakes federal case filed last week in Utah. See https://www.wtpnews.org/press-vs-police/
The video—titled “They Tried to Silence Me – My Declaration Against FBI Retaliation (Exhibit D, Read Aloud)”—captures Reardon reading his second sworn declaration in its entirety, word for word, laying out accusations of First and Fourth Amendment violations, retaliatory surveillance, and systemic abuse of power.
The public reading marks a significant moment in Reardon’s escalating campaign to expose what he calls a multi-state conspiracy aimed at derailing the upcoming release of his non-fiction exposé, American Injustice, which details the corruption and abuse he’s personally witnessed across Mississippi and beyond.
Reardon has now:
• Filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Oxford, MS and Layton, UT officials;
• Submitted sworn declarations to the court and DOJ;
• Filed complaints with the ACLU, EFF, and Mississippi POST;
• Called for Congressional oversight from Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney;
• And launched a growing media campaign exposing the chilling effects of government retaliation against activists and journalists.
“They didn’t want the first affidavit submitted. They sure as hell didn’t want the second one created. And now that I’ve read it out loud for the world to hear—they can’t stop it.”
The stakes of this battle stretch far beyond one man’s story. They reach into the heart of press freedom, whistleblower protections, and whether the Constitution still serves as a shield against abuse by those who wield power behind federal badges and encrypted databases.
As Reardon continues to push forward, the question is no longer whether a journalist was retaliated against—it’s whether anyone will be held accountable.
Weird in this set to publish his first book American Justice this month. He believes that this is a big focus for why Oxford Police Department is doing what they’re doing. 
