Judge rejects Justice Department’s attempt to bring charges against Don Lemon
By
CNN Expansion DC - November 2021, Shoot ID: 1089822 , 11/16/2021, Hannah Rabinowitz
Hannah Rabinowitz
A federal magistrate judge rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to bring charges against journalist Don Lemon for appearing alongside protesters who breached a Minnesota church over the weekend, a source told CNN.
“The Attorney General is enraged at the magistrate judge’s decision,” a person familiar with the matter said. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been on the ground in Minnesota for two days meeting with federal prosecutors from the state.
Lemon, who is a former CNN host who now makes content independently, was with dozens of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters as they rushed into Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota on Sunday morning, interrupting a church service and leading to tense confrontations, CNN has reported.
Lemon has said that he was present at the demonstration as a journalist and not as a protester. In a video of the episode that he posted on YouTube, Lemon says “I’m just here photographing, I’m not part of the group… I’m a journalist.”
The Justice Department has arrested two people involved in the protests, CNN has reported.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Lemon.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/22/politics/don-lemon-justice-department-minnesota