This weekend was a great weekend for conservatives who are sick and tired of Don Lemon’s publicity stunts, at least for the most part.
Lemon was arrested for his role in the anti-ICE protest that interrupted services at a church in Minnesota.
That was the good news; the bad news is that a judge released him without bail, and Lemon took no time at all to preach to everyone about how he was wronged because of his race and sexual orientation.
While Lemon claims differently, he was very much a part of the protest that was a violation of the First Amendment.
This was akin to someone saying they were going to rob a bank, and the reporter showing up at the bank to report on it as it happened rather than notifying the police. You don’t get a free pass as a journalist when you are knowingly reporting on a crime and have previous knowledge of the crime, which Lemon did.
Lemon, during his “reporting” on the protest at the church, stated, "We're not part of the activists, but we're here just reporting on them.”
The law did not see it that way, and Lemon was charged. And to anyone saying this is unfair, just think about the reaction if a bunch of MAGA protesters showed up at Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) mosque with Jesse Watters in tow.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Donahue gave Lemon a free pass after his arrest, setting him free with no bail and no travel restrictions, which should give you a pretty good idea of how this case is going to go.
Prosecutors wanted his passport, as well as barring him from traveling back to New York, but Judge Donahue declined all requests, including the blocking of international travel for Lemon.
They also wanted a $100,000 bond, but that too was declined, so Lemon faces no repercussions for the time being.
I would love to be more hopeful about what should be a slam-dunk case, but we all know how these things go if they get a liberal judge and a liberal jury.
Lemon immediately played the victim card, telling the media, "Last night the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for something that I have been doing for the last 30 years and that is covering the news.”
He continued, "I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now. In fact, there is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable."
I will just say this… You better believe all of MAGA is watching this case and licking its chops. If Lemon gets off, a precedent has been set, and it will mean that we will likely see protests at mosques that have journalists in tow to watch the entire episode play out, knowing they are now immune from prosecution.
This is a huge case, and I cannot possibly overstate the importance of it in terms of religious freedom and journalism. The courts better be very careful and lose that left-leaning ideology because the wrong decision here opens up a can of worms the majority of Americans surely do not want to see opened. If houses of worship are no longer sacred, well, I think we all know what happens then.
