Don Lemon hires ex-prosecutor who resigned from Justice Department to represent him

A high-profile former prosecutor who was part of a wave of resignations from the Justice Department’s office in Minneapolis last month has a surprising new client: Former CNN anchor Don Lemon.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson notified a judge Tuesday that he now represents Lemon, who is battling charges from the Justice Department stemming from a protest at a Minnesota church service. Lemon is also represented by well-known D.C.-based lawyer Abbe Lowell.

Thompson worked as a prosecutor for the Justice Department for over a decade, serving at one point last year as acting U.S. Attorney in Minnesota. He’s been known in recent months for leading a series of fraud prosecutions that ensnared over 90 defendants accused of bilking Minnesota’s public assistance programs. Thompson estimated the fraud schemes — which drew the Trump administration’s attention — cost the state at least $9 billion.

But Thompson and several other prosecutors resigned last month from the U.S. Attorney’s office. The resignations stemmed in part from concerns over a push to investigate the widow of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent, CBS News reported at the time.

Attempts to reach Thompson for comment were unsuccessful.

Lemon and eight others were indicted last month in connection with a protest that disrupted a church service. He was charged with one count of conspiracy against religious freedom and one count of interfering with the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship.

Lemon was present during the demonstration at the church in St. Paul, Minnesota, which was sparked by a discovery that one of the pastors was an ICE official.

The former CNN journalist-turned-streaming host has said he was covering the protest as a reporter, not participating in it, and he had no affiliation with the protesters who were charged.

Lowell said in a statement after Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles late last month: “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done … The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”

The Justice Department faced some early stumbling blocks in the Lemon case, after a Minnesota magistrate judge refused to sign a complaint charging him over the protest. The following week, Lemon and others were indicted by a grand jury, and federal law enforcement personnel arrested him. He was released on his own recognizance without posting bond.