The wife of the judge who refused to accept charges against Don Lemon for disrupting a church service is herself an assistant attorney general working for AG Keith Ellison.
Three alleged participants in the anti-ICE protest at a Saint Paul church were charged on Thursday, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
‘We will protect our pastors. We will protect our churches. We will protect Americans of faith.’
While many believed the former CNN anchor would also face charges over his participation in the protest, sources told various news outlets that a magistrate refused to sign off on the charges.
The magistrate was later identified as Judge Douglas Micko, whose wife, Caitlin Micko, works in Ellison’s office, according to some reports.
Lemon has claimed to have acted as a journalist when he joined the protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They targeted the Cities Church because a senior pastor at the church has been reportedly identified as the leader of an ICE office.
Activist attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong said the pastor’s ICE role posed a “fundamental moral conflict” with his church role.
“You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities,” Armstrong said. “When officials protect armed agents, repeatedly refuse meaningful investigation into killings like Renee Good’s, and signal they may pursue peaceful protesters and journalists, that is not justice — it is intimidation.”
The administration may pursue other alternatives to seek Lemon’s prosecution.
One source said that Attorney General Pam Bondi was “enraged at the magistrate judge’s decision.”
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement defending his actions.
“The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter,” he said, according to Politico. “It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist.”
A Blaze News request for comment from Ellison’s office was not immediately answered.
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Bondi excoriated the protest at the church in a post on social media.
“Religious freedom is the bedrock of this country,” she wrote. “We will protect our pastors. We will protect our churches. We will protect Americans of faith.”
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