Journalist Don Lemon set to be arraigned in Minnesota church protest case
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former CNN host turned independent journalist Don Lemon and four others are expected to be arraigned Friday on federal civil rights charges, accused during a protest at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is a pastor.
Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong will also be arraigned Friday. The prominent local activist was the subject of a doctored photo posted on official White House social media that falsely showed her crying during her arrest. This photo is part of a deluge of AI-altered images that have circulated since the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
It was unclear before the hearing whether Lemon planned to appear in court in St. Paul and his attorney, Joe Thompson, did not return calls this week seeking comment. Arraignments in federal court typically include entering pleas and planning future proceedings. Lemon has announced his intention to plead not guilty.
Two other defendants charged during the protest at a Southern Baptist church in St. Paul are expected to be arraigned next week, including another independent journalist, Georgia Fort. Nine people have been charged in this case.
Protesters disrupted a service at Cities Church on Jan. 18 by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” in reference to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis last month. Lemon said he was not affiliated with the group and was there as a reporter to report on the event for his live show.
“I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now. In fact, there is no time more important than today, this moment for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable,” Lemon told reporters after his arrest.
The church’s protest drew strong complaints from conservative religious and political leaders. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned in a social media post: “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship. » Even clergy who oppose the government’s immigration control tactics have expressed unease.
All nine are charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, which prohibits interference or intimidation of “any person by force, threat of force, or physical obstruction exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right to religious liberty in a place of religious worship.” Penalties include up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Thompson is one of several former prosecutors who have left the Minnesota U.S. attorney’s office in recent weeks, citing frustration with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state and the Justice Department’s response to the killings of Good and Pretti.
One of four attorneys listed to represent Lemon, Thompson had led the sprawling investigation into major public programs fraud cases for the DA’s office until his resignation last month. The Trump administration has cited the fraud cases, in which most of the defendants are from the state’s large Somali community, to justify its immigration crackdown.
