Former CNN host Don Lemon has hired a former federal prosecutor to defend him against charges related to the anti-ICE activist invasion of Cities Church last month.
Joseph Thompson not only served as a federal prosecutor, but Thompson previously worked out of the same prosecutor’s office in Minnesota that charged Lemon. Thompson will join Abbe Lowell, Lemon’s lead attorney, in the case to defend the independent journalist, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/us/joseph-thompson-don-lemon-minneapolis-protest.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share">The New York Times</a>.
Thompson recently left the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota. He resigned from the office last month in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration policy and crackdown on illegal aliens in Minneapolis.
Lemon filmed as protesters invaded Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18. Prior to the event, Lemon joined the activists in a parking lot and appeared to intentionally keep details of the planned operation hidden from his audience as he talked to protesters.
During his livestream of the protesters&#8217; early gathering, Lemon “stepped away momentarily so his mic would not accidentally divulge certain portions of the planning session,” prosecutors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-helped-protestors-keep-church-plans-under-wraps-blocked-congregants-from-leaving-indictment">said</a> in an indictment.
Lemon was arrested last month and charged with conspiracy to violate the right of religious freedom at a house of worship and violations of the FACE Act, which bans disruption of religious services.
During his livestream, Lemon defended the protesters as they stormed into Cities Church and disrupted the service to the extent that parishioners opted to leave rather than wait for order to be restored. The ex-CNN host claimed that the actions of the protesters who stormed church property to disrupt the service are protected under the Constitution.
“There is nothing in the Constitution that tells you what time you can protest. You can protest at any time. That’s the whole point of it, to disrupt, to make uncomfortable. And that’s what they’re doing,” Lemon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-ice-activists-storm-minnesota-church-with-don-lemon-doj-launches-probe">said</a> during his livestream. “When you see how &#8230; uncomfortably and harsh people are being treated on the streets, you have to be willing to go into places and disrupt and make people uncomfortable. That is what this country is about.”
Lemon blamed the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis for the activist operation.
“This is the beginning of what’s going to happen here. When you violate people’s due process, when you pull people off the street, you start dragging them and hurting them and not abiding by the Constitution – when you start doing all of that, people get upset and angry,” Lemon said.
The protest was organized and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DToXsEEEVk2/">promoted</a> by the Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter Minnesota. Cities Church was targeted by the activists because, activist leader Nekima Levy-Armstrong claimed, one of its pastors works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“They cannot pretend to be a house of God while harboring someone who is directing ICE agents to wreak havoc upon our community,” Levy-Armstrong told Lemon. “I am a reverend on top of being a lawyer and an activist, so I come here in the power of the almighty God for righteousness, truth, and justice.”
On Lemon’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4ctuhv-cck">stream</a> of the protest, Levy-Armstrong led dozens of protesters into the church during services, crowding the aisle and chanting slogans such as “justice for Renee Good,” “hands up, don’t shoot,” and “ICE out of Minnesota.”

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Attorney General Pamela Bondi on Monday announced the arrests of two additional individuals and issued a stern warning to activists following the expansion of a federal investigation into a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bondi named Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson and described the disruption as a &#8220;coordinated attack.&#8221; Her message was unequivocal: &#8220;If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you.
We have made two more arrests in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota: Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2018326184468058566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that the group conspired to &#8220;injure, intimidate, and interfere&#8221; with the religious freedom of parishioners during a January 18 service. The protest targeted the church because one of its pastors reportedly serves as an official for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem echoed Bondi’s hardline stance, asserting that there is no First Amendment right to obstruct religious practice.
The investigation has unfolded in two distinct waves. The first, on January 22, focused on alleged organizers like civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul School Board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen. The second wave followed a grand jury indictment on Friday, which included several activists and a high-profile media figure.
Among the most notable arrests is former CNN anchor Don Lemon. While Lemon maintains he was acting as an independent journalist, an unsealed indictment<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-helped-protestors-keep-church-plans-under-wraps-blocked-congregants-from-leaving-indictment"> reported</a> by The Daily Wire paints a different picture. Prosecutors allege Lemon attended a &#8220;pre-op briefing&#8221; to maintain operational secrecy and later livestreamed the &#8220;resistance&#8221; operation. The indictment claims Lemon entered the church with the first wave of agitators, allegedly intimidating congregants and physically obstructing the pastor. Lemon reportedly acknowledged on his stream that the experience was &#8220;traumatic&#8221; for worshippers, stating that &#8220;the whole point&#8230; is to disrupt.&#8221;
All defendants face federal charges under the FACE Act and 18 U.S.C. § 241 (Conspiracy Against Rights). As of Monday, the legal process is moving swiftly. Lemon, represented by attorney Abbe Lowell, is scheduled for an initial appearance in Minneapolis on February 9, along with Georgia Fort, Trahern Jeen Crews, and Jamael Lydell Lundy. Meanwhile, &#8220;Wave 1&#8221; defendants are currently contesting the seizure of personal property, citing Fourth Amendment violations.
Attorney General Bondi’s latest announcement underscores the administration&#8217;s commitment to aggressive prosecution in what it calls a coordinated attack on religious liberty.

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‘We WILL Find You’: Bondi Cracks Down With New Arrests In Minnesota Church Investigation

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Don Lemon Hires Ex-Fed Prosecutor As He Gears Up For Trial Over Anti-ICE Protest

‘We WILL Find You’: Bondi Cracks Down With New Arrests In Minnesota Church Investigation