Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor who was arrested on federal civil rights charges last week, portrays his conduct during the January 18 protest that disrupted services at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, as purely journalistic. The Justice Department, joined by his many critics, says he actively participated in the disruption, making him no less criminally liable than the seven protesters who were charged in the same case. If you break the law, Lemon's detractors note, the fact that you have a camera and a microphone does not shield you from prosecution.
Lemon indisputably was covering the protest for his YouTube show. The indictment against him concedes as much, repeatedly mentioning his "livestreaming" and noting his interviews with congregants and Jonathan Parnell, the pastor who was leading the service. But Lemon was unabashedly sympathetic to the protesters, their cause, and their illegal tactics. Lemon's own footage suggests he himself may have been guilty of trespassing. The indictment's allegations nevertheless fall short of making the case that his conduct met the elements of the two federal charges he faces.
