Photo: Getty Images
A federal magistrate judge denied the United States Department of Justice's attempt to charge former CNN host Don Lemon in an incident in which anti-ICE protesters disrupted a church service in St. Paul, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to CNN on Thursday (January 22).
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was present in Minnesota for two days meeting with federal Minnesota prosecutors in a failed effort to bring charges against Lemon.
“The Attorney General is enraged at the magistrate judge’s decision,” a person familiar with the matter said, while CNN acknowledged that the Justice Department could try again to bring charges against him.
Lemon, who was fired by CNN in 2023 and now works as an independent journalist, was with dozens of anti-ICE protesters when they rushed into Cities Church on Sunday (January 18) during a service, which resulted in tense confrontations. The 59-year-old claimed that he wasn't there as a protester, rather as a journalist reporting on the incident.
“I’m just here photographing, I’m not part of the group… I’m a journalist," Lemon said in a video shared on his YouTube account. Two other people were arrested by the Justice Department for their involvement in the protests on Sunday, according to CNN.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY AND WILL BE UPDATED.