MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former federal prosecutor who quit amid a dispute with the Trump administration is now representing former CNN host Don Lemon, who was one of nine people indicted for their alleged roles in disrupting a service at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official was a pastor.
A court filing Tuesday shows that Lemon has hired former interim U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who had been leading major fraud investigations for the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office until he resigned last month. Several prosecutors have now left the office during this period of growing frustration with the administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown and the Justice Department’s response to fatal shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis.
Lemon had previously indicated through another attorney that he plans to plead not guilty to federal civil rights charges related to his coverage of the church protest. He claims his actions were in his capacity as an independent journalist, and he was not associated with the group that disrupted the service. Allegations against him include various actions taken while he reported live from the event.
Lemon is scheduled to be arraigned on February 13 in federal court in St. Paul. The Trump administration has cited Minnesota fraud cases involving predominantly the local Somali community as part of its justification for an immigration crackdown in the state. Thompson estimated in December that losses to taxpayers from these fraud cases could be as high as $9 billion.
A court filing Tuesday shows that Lemon has hired former interim U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who had been leading major fraud investigations for the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office until he resigned last month. Several prosecutors have now left the office during this period of growing frustration with the administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown and the Justice Department’s response to fatal shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis.
Lemon had previously indicated through another attorney that he plans to plead not guilty to federal civil rights charges related to his coverage of the church protest. He claims his actions were in his capacity as an independent journalist, and he was not associated with the group that disrupted the service. Allegations against him include various actions taken while he reported live from the event.
Lemon is scheduled to be arraigned on February 13 in federal court in St. Paul. The Trump administration has cited Minnesota fraud cases involving predominantly the local Somali community as part of its justification for an immigration crackdown in the state. Thompson estimated in December that losses to taxpayers from these fraud cases could be as high as $9 billion.
