Federal prosecutors hit a roadblock on Thursday in their attempt to bring charges against journalist Don Lemon, stemming from his involvement inside a church during a Minnesota protest.
According to the Associated Press, a magistrate judge rejected the government’s bid to file a criminal complaint against the former news anchor. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the details of the ongoing investigation publicly.
Lemon was among the group that entered the building, though he has maintained that he was not there as an activist. In his view, he was simply doing the job of a reporter—chronicling the events as they unfolded. RELATED: Don Lemon Melts Down Over DOJ Probe, Insists ‘Traumatic’ Church Raid Was Just News Coverage
“Once the protest started in the church we did an act of journalism which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization,” Lemon stated in a video released on social media. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”
The judge’s refusal to approve the charges creates uncertainty about the Justice Department’s next steps.
READ: Journalism Or Trespass? Fox News Analyst Torches Don Lemon Over Church ‘Invasion’
The ruling doesn’t necessarily end the matter; authorities could return to a magistrate judge with a revised complaint, or they could escalate the matter by seeking an indictment before a grand jury.
CNN, the network that fired Lemon in 2023, was the first to break the news of the ruling.
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