Lemon was seen embedded with the anti-ICE agitators, kissing one of the organizers on the cheek and handing out coffee.
A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota has reportedly refused to sign a complaint from the Department of Justice charging former CNN host Don Lemon in connection with the storming of a St Paul church. Lemon was seen embedded with the anti-ICE agitators, kissing one of the organizers on the cheek and handing out coffee.
A source familiar with the matter told CBS News that "the attorney general is enraged at the magistrate’s decision." This comes after two women, organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong and St Paul School Board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen, have been charged with violations of the FACE Act for their roles in the incident.
A separate source told the outlet that the Department of Justice could still find other avenues through which to charge Lemon.
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In the wake of Sunday’s storming of the church and the DOJ saying that they were weighing charges against him, Lemon released a video trying to distance himself from the actions.
"So, I have no affiliation to that organization. I didn't even know they were going to this church until we followed them there. We were there chronicling protests. Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was to report on it and talk to the people who were involved, which included a pastor and members of the church and members of the organization. That's it. It’s called journalism. First Amendment, all that stuff, for all of you people who believe in the First Amendment, absolutists, there you go," Lemon claimed in a video posted to Instagram.
Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote in response to Lemon claiming he was at the church in a journalistic capacity, "No one has a right to protest by trespassing into a private house—especially a house of God almighty. Freedom of the press does not protect journalists, nor anyone else, when they are actively committing crimes."
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Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify that Lemon has not been charged as a result of the magistrate's refusal to sign the complaint.
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