Don Lemon charged in unsealed indictment for church disruption with activists.

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A federal grand jury indicted former CNN host Don Lemon and eight others in late January for their roles in a January 18 protest that interrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prosecutors charged them with conspiracy against the right of religious freedom at a place of worship under 18 U.S.C. § 241 and with violating the FACE Act, which bars force, threats, or obstruction that interferes with worship. The group targeted the church because one pastor served as acting director of the local ICE field office. The indictment says roughly 20 to 40 people entered during the service, chanted “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” blew whistles, and occupied aisles and seats near the front, which prosecutors call a coordinated takeover that left congregants frightened and forced the service to end. Lemon was at a pre-operation briefing in a shopping center parking lot where organizers including Nekima Levy Armstrong described the target and plan. According to the indictment, he thanked Armstrong for what she was doing, told her he was not disclosing the details, and said he would see her there. On his livestream he referred to a “resistance” operation, reminded people not to give away the location, and later told viewers the disruption was traumatic and uncomfortable for people inside, which he said was the point. He also approached the pastor with questions and stood near the main door confronting some congregants as they tried to leave. Lemon has pleaded not guilty and says he was there only as an independent journalist covering the event, not as a participant. Another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, was also charged and has made the same claim. Press groups called the charges an attack on First Amendment reporting. A magistrate judge earlier declined to approve arrest warrants against Lemon, and the Justice Department went to a grand jury instead. More people have since been charged in connection with the same protest. The case remains in court.

https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-arrest-minnesota-church-service-d3091fe3d1e37100a7c46573667eb85c

https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/minnesota-face-off–a-deep-dive-into-the-st.-paul-church-protest-case

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