Journalist Don Lemon Arrested After Covering Anti-ICE Protests At Minnesota Church
Federal agents arrested journalist Don Lemon late Thursday on federal charges related to his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month. (Here’s video from the protest.) Lemon was charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Lemon and three others — a second journalist and two protesters — were arrested at her direction “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church.” Federal officials are reportedly charging them under a law called the FACE Act, that prohibits interference with religious services.
INSIDE THE PROTEST
Lemon, a former CNN anchor turned independent journalist, accompanied protesters on Jan. 18 when they disrupted a Sunday morning service at Cities Church, where one of the pastors — David Easterwood — is also an ICE officer.
Lemon was under FBI surveillance for several days leading up to his arrest, including monitoring of his communications with protesters, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The FBI has not commented.
LEMON’S ARGUMENT: Lemon maintains he was reporting as a journalist and not working as an activist when he entered the church. He has asserted his First Amendment rights.
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable,” Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell said.
DOJ ARGUMENT: Justice Department officials are pointing to the FACE Act, which bars protesters from using force or intimidation against anyone seeking access to reproductive services and/or houses of worship.
U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted on X Jan. 18 that churches are “a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service. You are on notice.”
A magistrate judge last week rejected an initial case against Lemon for lacking sufficient evidence. He then predicted on his show that the administration would try again.
White House aide James Blair said Friday in a post on X that Lemon was later indicted by a federal grand jury, even though charges against the journalist weren’t on the public docket at the time of his post.
Bigger picture: CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig spoke with Mo News Sunday and said that Americans assume the DOJ — which oversees the FBI — will operate free from political pressure. But independence depends on tradition, he said, not enforceable rules. (Watch the full conversation here.)
MEANWHILE…
The Justice Department announced it has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by immigration officers, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday.
This is a significant shift from the administration’s previous announcement that it would only pursue a narrower “use of force” review, led by the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
A civil rights investigation could result in criminal charges against the officers involved in Pretti’s death in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
The FBI is leading the probe with support from the Civil Rights Division, which Blanche described as “standard.” Blanche did not explain why Pretti’s case prompted a civil rights investigation, while there was no such action taken after the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota two weeks earlier.
THE TRUMP OF IT ALL
Trump is confronting a political dilemma navigating the latest events and backlash related to his administration’s immigration enforcement. He doesn’t want to alienate his base or keep losing independent support.
Mosheh told MS NOW’s Stephanie Ruhle on Thursday that Trump is trying to thread the needle between both groups — which were critical to him retaking the White House. Republicans will need support from each group this fall if they hope to hold onto Congress in the midterm elections.