Don Lemon, facing charges for his reporting on a protest at a St. Paul church, has retained Joseph H.
Thompson, a former prominent federal prosecutor in Minnesota, to represent him. Thompson's departure from the U.
S. Attorney's Office in mid-January, along with at least five other prosecutors, reportedly followed pressure from the Trump administration to prioritize the federal investigation into the ICE officer shooting of Renée Good, focusing on individuals involved in ICE protests rather than the officer's actions.
Thompson, who served for 17 years in the U. S.
Attorney's office and most recently as First Assistant, also briefly acted as U. S.
Attorney. His legal team is co-led by Washington D.
C. attorney Abbe Lowell. Thompson's previous work included leading high-profile cases related to significant fraud scandals in the state.
His resignation occurred about a week after Good's death and shortly before Lemon and other protesters entered Cities Church, where Lemon and Georgia Fort were livestreaming an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a church service and led to confrontations. Lemon was arrested in Beverly Hills on January 30 and charged with two felonies: conspiracy to intimidate or violate the free exercise of religion and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits interference with religious rights through force or threats.