Additional Coverage:
Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon Expected to Plead Not Guilty in Federal Case Related to Protest Coverage
New York, NY – Former CNN anchor and now freelance journalist, Don Lemon, is anticipated to enter a not guilty plea today in connection with federal charges stemming from his coverage of protests against federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Lemon, 59, was arrested on January 30th after live-streaming a demonstration on January 18th where protestors entered a St. Paul church. The protest was reportedly aimed at a pastor whom demonstrators accused of working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The federal indictment against Lemon and eight co-defendants linked to the church protest has sparked significant criticism from news media organizations and free speech advocates. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the incident as a “coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
Lemon faces charges of conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating, and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) condemned Lemon’s arrest, alongside that of fellow freelancer Fort, stating it is part of “the government’s escalating effort and actions to criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement.” The NABJ emphasized that “A government that responds to scrutiny by targeting the messenger is not protecting the public, it is attempting to intimidate it, and considering recent incidents regarding federal agents, it is attempting to distract it.”
Harmeet Dhillon, who served as the Trump administration’s top civil rights official in the Justice Department, has previously noted the unprecedented nature of using these statutes to prosecute journalists covering an event. Dhillon stated, “In all these years up until I was the assistant attorney general for civil rights, nobody ever used that houses of worship part to prosecute protesters or criminals blocking access to a house of worship, so we’ve started to do that.”
The charges against Lemon come amidst a backdrop of heightened tensions in Minneapolis, where Border Patrol and ICE agents have conducted raids, leading to widespread protests. Tom Homan, the Border “czar,” announced Thursday that the immigration enforcement operation in the region would conclude.
The situation has been further inflamed by the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti, 37, and Renee Good, 37, during these clashes. Good was reportedly driving away from federal agents on January 7th when she was shot, while Pretti, a nurse working with veterans, was killed on January 24th while assisting a woman who had been shoved to the ground. The Trump administration labeled both U.S. citizens as “domestic terrorists,” despite no immediate evidence suggesting they sought to harm federal agents.
Ironically, before taking office, then-candidate Trump had voiced concerns about the “weaponization of federal authority against political enemies.” His administration subsequently established a “Weaponization Working Group” within the Department of Justice, aimed at uncovering “abuses of the criminal justice process” by federal law enforcement. However, the group’s leader, Ed Martin, who took over in May, was removed earlier this month without public explanation, and the administration has been reportedly scrambling to issue a report from the working group.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.