street. PAUL, MINNESOTA — The former CNN host has gone freelance Journalist Don Lemon They are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Minnesota on Friday along with four other defendants who have been charged for their alleged roles in the murder. Disable the service At the church where the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was pastor.
A civil rights attorney is also scheduled to be arraigned on Friday nikema levi armstrong, The subject of the photo posted on an official White House social media account was It was changed to show her crying falsely When she was arrested. The photo is part of a A flood of AI photos It has been circulating since the fatal shootings of Rene Judd and Alex Peretti by federal officers in Minneapolis amid the crisis The Trump administration’s campaign against immigration.
Summons in federal court typically involve filing motions and scheduling future proceedings. It was not clear before the hearing whether Lemon planned to appear in person or allow his legal team to handle the hearing. His attorney, Joe Thompson, did not return calls seeking comment this week.
Other defendants, including independent journalist Georgia Forte, are scheduled to be arraigned next week. A total of nine accused are charged in this case.
Lemon had said this before through another lawyer, Marlene Bednarsk He intended to plead not guilty to Federal civil rights fees Because of his coverage of the protest at the Southern Baptist Church in St. Paul.
The demonstrators Service interrupted at the Cities Church on January 18 by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” in reference to She is 37 years old and a mother of three children who was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis last month. Lemon said he was not affiliated with the group and that he was there as a journalist to cover the event for his live show.
“I have spent my entire career covering the news,” Lemon told reporters after his arrest. “I will not stop now. In fact, there is no more important time than now, this very moment for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.”
Church protest Raised severe complaints From religious leaders and conservative politicians. White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt warned in a social media post at the time that “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.” Even among clergy who oppose the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, There was discomfort With such protests.
the 1994 Law on Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances It prohibits interfering with or intimidating “any person by force or threat of force or physical obstruction exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right to religious freedom in a place of religious worship.” Penalties It can range Imprisonment for one year and a fine of up to $10,000.
Thompson is one of Many are former prosecutors who left the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office in recent weeks amid frustration with the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration enforcement in the state and the Justice Department’s response to the shootings of Judd and Peretti.
Thompson was one of four attorneys registered to represent Lemon in the future Lead the sprawling investigation One of the major fraud cases in the office’s overall program Until his resignation last month. The Trump administration has indicated Fraud cases, Most of the accused come from the large Somali community in the state. As justification To encourage her to immigrate.