MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Don Lemon, the former CNN host, has announced that he has hired Joe Thompson, a former federal prosecutor, to represent him following his indictment for his alleged activities during a service disruption at a church in Minnesota.
Thompson, who had been the interim U.S. Attorney, made waves in the legal field after resigning last month amidst a fallout involving disagreements with the Trump administration's immigration policies. He was leading investigations into major fraud cases when he stepped down, adding to the growing number of prosecutors leaving the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office amid frustrations with the administration’s handling of immigration enforcement and responses to deadly federal incidents.
Lemon, who has expressed his intention to plead not guilty to federal civil rights charges stemming from the protest, claims he was present at the church merely as an independent journalist and asserts no affiliation with the disruptive group. The indictment includes various actions that occurred during the protest, which Lemon is said to have observed and reported on during a livestream.
The indictment is linked to an incident at a church where an ICE official served as pastor, highlighting the tensions between local communities and immigration enforcement agencies.
Next steps for Lemon include an arraignment scheduled for February 13 in federal court in St. Paul, where the details of the case will be further examined.
