Don Lemon hires ex DOJ prosecutor to defend him in Donald Trump free speech fight
Independent journalist Don Lemon was arrested for reporting on a protest in Minnesota. (Dia Dipasupil/WireImage)
Don Lemon has hired a former Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor to defend him in his free speech battle with US president Donald Trump.
The independent journalist, who came out as gay in his 2011 and is married to real estate agent Tim Malone, was arrested on 29 January on charges that he violated federal law when he entered the Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota on 18 January.
Lemon is charged with conspiring to intimidate or violate the free exercise of religion, and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits the use of force or threats to intentionally interfere with someone’s First Amendment right to practice religion.
According to a court filing, he has now hired Jospeh Thompson to defend him from the federal charges. Until a few weeks ago, Thompson worked as a senior federal prosector in the US attorney’s office in Minnesota.
However, Thompson quit his role alongside several other prosectors after the DOJ told them to drop their investigation into the legality of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent’s killing of Renee Good. The DOJ instead ordered the office to investigate Good’s widow for any links to other anti-ICE protest groups, causing concern among prosecutors.
The indictment against Lemon, who has publicly clashed with Trump supporter Nicki Minaj, claims that he stood close to a pastor during the protest, intimidating him and causing a graze to his hand. It also claims he and other protestors refused to leave the church when asked by worship leaders.
Eight others are also charged with one count each of conspiracy against 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 indictment that led to Lemon’s arrest occurred after DOJ declared it would no longer seek to prosecute him, and after the department attempted to ask a federal magistrate judge for an arrest warrant for Lemon, which wasn’t signed off.
Lemon has attested that he was doing his job as a journalist while at the protest, rather than participating in it.
After his release from federal custody on 30 January, he said: “The First Amendment of the Constitution protects that work, for me and for countless other journalists who do what I do. I stand with all of them, and I will not be silenced…. I look forward to my day in court.”
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