MN - Journalist Don Lemon arrested for church protest, Minneapolis, 18 Jan 2026

[BeginnerSleuther]

Except, Lemon is in fact charged with that. It's the first count listed on the indictment.

https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/CASE-026-cr-00025-LMP-DLM.pdf

My mistake. I thought he was left out of the conspiracy charge.

It'll be fun when this is tossed out of court.

MOO.

 

[otto]

SBMFF.

Actually, your question was "The independent journalist is within his rights to ignore injury while getting the story?" That's what some of us are answering.

And given that there is no evidence he obstructed anything, I think it's the more relevant question of the two. Show me evidence of obstruction and maybe I'll have a different answer, but from the video clips I've seen, he couldn't have been more calm and collected as he interviewed people and never physically obstructed anyone.

MOO.

Refusing to believe the contents of the affidavit, or to declare that there was no obstruction, does not make it true.

According to congregation witnesses, Don Lemon and "agitators" did obstruct the pastor when his stated goal was to comfort his congregation and family. We can choose whether to believe those witnesses, or to presume that they are untruthful and dishonest. I choose to believe because I have no reason to doubt.

FBI Affidavit in Suport of Arrest Warrant | PDF | U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement | American Government

This affidavit, submitted by Special Agent Timothy Gerber, outlines the investigation into a group of agitators who disrupted a religious service at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN on January 18, 2026. The group, led by Nekima Valdez Levy-Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, coordinated their...

www.scribd.com

 

[J. J. in Phila]

My mistake. I thought he was left out of the conspiracy charge.

It'll be fun when this is tossed out of court.

MOO.

It may be for the "journalists," but not the others.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Refusing to believe the contents of the affidavit, or to declare that there was no obstruction, does not make it true.

Which is why I ended my post with MOO.

According to congregation witnesses, Don Lemon and "agitators" did obstruct the pastor when his stated goal was to comfort his congregation and family. We can choose whether to believe those witnesses, or to presume that they are untruthful and dishonest. I choose to believe because I have no reason to doubt.

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FBI Affidavit in Suport of Arrest Warrant | PDF | U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement | American Government

This affidavit, submitted by Special Agent Timothy Gerber, outlines the investigation into a group of agitators who disrupted a religious service at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN on January 18, 2026. The group, led by Nekima Valdez Levy-Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, coordinated their...

www.scribd.com

None of what you posted or highlighted above shows that DL is guilty of "obstruction." Asking questions is not "obstruction." No one is obligated to answer questions nor are they glued to the ground. They are free to walk away and it appears the pastor did.

MOO.

 

[otto]

My mistake. I thought he was left out of the conspiracy charge.

It'll be fun when this is tossed out of court.

MOO.

I doubt that this event was fun for anyone, regardless of the outcome.

https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/CASE-026-cr-00025-LMP-DLM.pdf

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

It may be for the "journalists," but not the others.

I'm not defending the others. It's a thread about DL so that's who I'm talking about. Not sure why journalist is in quotes.

MOO.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I'm not defending the others. It's a thread about DL so that's who I'm talking about. Not sure why journalist is in quotes.

MOO.

They are all in the same indictment.

There may also be a problem with Lemon's claims of being a journalist.

 

[otto]

Which is why I ended my post with MOO.



None of what you posted or highlighted above shows that DL is guilty of "obstruction." Asking questions is not "obstruction." No one is obligated to answer questions nor are they glued to the ground. They are free to walk away and it appears the pastor did.

MOO.

Reducing statements in the affidavit into smaller phrases for the purpose of discrediting the statement as a whole - for example "nothing wrong with asking a question" - doesn't work.

"The whole is greater than the sum of parts" ~ attributed to Aristotle

~ in my humble opinion ~​

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

They are all in the same indictment.

I understand, but the thread is about Lemon and that's who I am talking about.

There may also be a problem with Lemon's claims of being a journalist.

How so?

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Reducing statements in the affidavit into smaller phrases for the purpose of discrediting the statement as a whole - for example "nothing wrong with asking a question" - doesn't work.

"The whole is greater than the sum of parts" ~ attributed to Aristotle

~ in my humble opinion ~​

You copied and pasted highlights of the affidavit to show me that he was obstructing, right? I was responding to what you posted. And I actually think it works well. I haven't read the whole affidavit (as stated in another thread). But I asked for evidence of the obstruction and the response was statements about his questions.

So my question stands then. Is there evidence of him obstructing beyond the sentences of him asking questions?

MOO.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I think it's important for anyone following this case to read the entire PC affidavit, the entire indictment, and then go watch Lemon's own livestream (of the day in question) AND subsequent interviews he's done since the day he walked into that church.

Equally important, IMO is to watch Pastor Parnell's interviews after the fact, to get an idea of how Lemon and his co-defendants impacted the church leaders and church members that day.

jmo

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Don Lemon absolutely used the word “traumatic” in his livestream to describe the coordinated take-over style attack on the church. He seemed quite elated when he said it, in my opinion, and from the video.

You can find it in the indictment on page 10 (Overt Act #20).

He said the congregants’ reactions were understandable because the experience was “traumatic and uncomfortable” which he said was the purpose.

imo

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

I think it's important for anyone following this case to read the entire PC affidavit, the entire indictment, and then go watch Lemon's own livestream (of the day in question) AND subsequent interviews he's done since the day he walked into that church.

I saw the majority of his livestream through clips in the media and on social media. Is his original livestream still up anywhere? I only looked a few days after the arrest and could find tons of clips but didn't find the OG.

Equally important, IMO is to watch Pastor Parnell's interviews after the fact, to get an idea of how Lemon and his co-defendants impacted the church leaders and church members that day.

jmo

That's fine, but at the same time, the impact to the pastor and church has little relevance to this particular thread, IMO, which is about Lemon's role in what happened and whether or not he's protected by press protections.

MOO.

 

[SouthAussie]

They are all in the same indictment.

That was a problem for the chief judge.


“The government lumps all eight protestors together and says things that are true of some but not all of them,” the chief judge wrote. “Two of the five protestors were not protestors at all; instead, they were a journalist and his producer. There is no evidence that those two engaged in any criminal behavior or conspired to do so.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/30/don-lemon-arrest-minnesota-protest-00756892

 

[Inthedetails]

I think it's important for anyone following this case to read the entire PC affidavit, the entire indictment, and then go watch Lemon's own livestream (of the day in question) AND subsequent interviews he's done since the day he walked into that church.

Equally important, IMO is to watch Pastor Parnell's interviews after the fact, to get an idea of how Lemon and his co-defendants impacted the church leaders and church members that day.

jmo

I hear ya. I've been on threads with people posing questions when they clearly haven't watched videos or listened with audio or read the actual documents. It tends to be obvious, fwiw.

jmopinion

 

[otto]

You copied and pasted highlights of the affidavit to show me that he was obstructing, right? I was responding to what you posted. And I actually think it works well. I haven't read the whole affidavit (as stated in another thread). But I asked for evidence of the obstruction and the response was statements about his questions.

So my question stands then. Is there evidence of him obstructing beyond the sentences of him asking questions?

MOO.

Is the independent journalist asking questions? Yes. Is there anything wrong with asking questions? No.

In context, the independent journalist is standing so close to the pastor that when he ever so slightly moved his right arm , the independent journalist told the pastor not to touch him. Keep in mind that it was not the pastor's choice to stand so close, that was the independent journalist's choice.

Video and statements demonstrate that the pastor is worried and distraught about his congregation and family. The independent journalist continues to ask questions.

In context, asking question is unwelcome and interferes with the pastor's primary role in the church during an upsetting event. The pastor's experience was that he was obstructed while being questioned by the independent journalist.

Nothing wrong with asking questions unless ...

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

FBI Affidavit in Suport of Arrest Warrant | PDF | U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement | American Government

This affidavit, submitted by Special Agent Timothy Gerber, outlines the investigation into a group of agitators who disrupted a religious service at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN on January 18, 2026. The group, led by Nekima Valdez Levy-Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, coordinated their...

www.scribd.com

 

[otto]

Don Lemon absolutely used the word “traumatic” in his livestream to describe the coordinated take-over style attack on the church. He seemed quite elated when he said it, in my opinion, and from the video.

You can find it in the indictment on page 10 (Overt Act #20).

He said the congregants’ reactions were understandable because the experience was “traumatic and uncomfortable” which he said was the purpose.

imo

Thank you!

Here it is, in the requested quotes ... and per the quoted Canadian news outlet:

https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/CASE-026-cr-00025-LMP-DLM.pdf

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Is the independent journalist asking questions? Yes. Is there anything wrong with asking questions? No.

In context, the independent journalist is standing so close to the pastor that when he ever so slightly moved his right arm , the independent journalist told the pastor not to touch him. Keep in mind that it was not the pastor's choice to stand so close, that was the independent journalist's choice.

Video and statements demonstrate that the pastor is worried and distraught about his congregation and family. The independent journalist continues to ask questions.

In context, asking question is unwelcome and interferes with the pastor's primary role in the church during an upsetting event. The pastor's experience was that he was obstructed while being questioned by the independent journalist.

Nothing wrong with asking questions unless ...

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

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View attachment 642172

FBI Affidavit in Suport of Arrest Warrant | PDF | U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement | American Government

This affidavit, submitted by Special Agent Timothy Gerber, outlines the investigation into a group of agitators who disrupted a religious service at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN on January 18, 2026. The group, led by Nekima Valdez Levy-Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, coordinated their...

www.scribd.com

None of that proves obstruction. Even standing close doesn't prove obstruction. Even all of it put together doesn't prove obstruction. IMO, the question comes down to could the pastor walk away? And the answer seems to be yes. That isn't obstruction, at least not by DL. I don't know where the other protestors were or what they were doing, but DL doesn't seem to be guilty of obstruction from what I've seen and read.

MOO.

 

[Inthedetails]

Allegations in an affidavit or indictment are not evidence proven in court. The allegations might be proven in court when the trial happens, but at this point they are allegations and remain so, even if repeatedly posted on the thread.


My opinion.

 

[otto]

None of that proves obstruction. Even standing close doesn't prove obstruction. Even all of it put together doesn't prove obstruction. IMO, the question comes down to could the pastor walk away? And the answer seems to be yes. That isn't obstruction, at least not by DL. I don't know where the other protestors were or what they were doing, but DL doesn't seem to be guilty of obstruction from what I've seen and read.

MOO.

As is always the case with discussions here, we have to wait for trial to see the evidence. Until then, we can discuss evidence that is available - which at this time includes the first amendment, FACE Act, youtube footage, an affidavit, an indictment, and interviews with those involved in the incident.

For purposes of respect for victims, my position is that their statements should be understood to be truthful until such time as proven otherwise. They deserve the benefit of the doubt. Therefore, at this time, I believe that the described experiences presented by witnesses in the affidavit are truthful.

~ in my humble opinion ~​