There is no legal basis (based on what's required by the cited law - use of force or threatening force) for this to proceed. It is, however, a required step in creating a fascist regime. Two journalists were arrested, plus a third one a week or so agom(WaPo). This is a pattern.

Expect a press conference later from the Trump admin crowing about this and threatening other journalists, indirectly, to watch their step. This corrupt administration has already created a fascist-friendly press pool to cover it. This admin has already threatened broadcaster's licenses.

required step in creating entrenching and strengthening a fascist regime

The article never once mentions them actually securing an indictment against Lemon.

Excellent point. is this just state sponsored intimidation with no basis, implemented by a lawless regime? The same lawless regime that seized voting records in GA that are sealed by a judge's order?

I have no idea how he is legally being held in jail, but he's in jail along with another journalist that was also at this protest.

RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.

The free speech bros must be so angry! Unless the free speech bros were lying and only ever cared about themselves

Remember those who used to tell you about a group of villains protecting powerful pedophiles and trying to take away American's freedoms, including their right to bear arms?

Well, THEY are the ones who today are protecting powerful pedophiles and trying to take away American's freedoms including their right to bear arms.

- Pedro X Molina

the FACE Act
As I said in #8, Lemon didn't violate the FACE Act.

Question: do you regard James O'Keefe and Nick Shirley as journalists?
Lemon has a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Jame O'Keefe does not. He has a degree in philosophy. He went to law school for a year and dropped out.
Nick Shirley (who I know nothing about) appears to have no degree in journalism. He has no degree at all, except from high school.

I do not consider either O'Keefe or Shirley, nor have I ever considered O'Keefe, journalists.

There is no doubt Don Lemon is a journalist.

Why do you ask?

"it is a lesson for the IRS not to be weaponized"

That poster is, as all MAGATs, Perpetual Victims, even is its solely from their own fevered imaginations. Without feeling persecuted, their lives would have no meaning.

#35 - as always - accuse the Democrats of what you are planning.

Prosecutors argue that FACE laws were violated.

That's Lemon's mistake.

Thanks for giving us all an example of fccked up your reasoning is, and your trusted sources are.
I understand well in advance how you are clueless about what I just said.

I can tell you there is oftentimes important news stories on Fox I never see elsewhere.

so "Important" it preempts actual factual and relevant news.

Don't care to convince you.

I'm calling your bluff
You ain't principled, you just performin'
One fact and you run to the fence
You're hollerin' loud
But it's talking points you been borrowin'
And all that you need is
Just a shred of good sense

#91 - you're ignorant and a liar, BillJohnson. Or you're ignorant and stupid. Two judges threw this out before DOJ in a vindictive prosecution went around both the judges and convened a grand jury so they could do this. This isn't going to get any conviction. There is no violation of FACE.

This was done 100% to intimidate all journalists. All you have to do is look at the timeline and failures of the DOJ.

I'm serious - how can you be this dumb? How can you ignore reality so completely?

Nothing you paid any attention to, I'm sure.

You gonna post what he did that violates the FACE Act or give us your
"Don't care to convince you.
And it's not because I'm lying.
Just simply you aren't important."

bullshht?

Where'd BillJohnson go? Isn't he going to elucidate us all? Fill in all the information we're supposedly missing?

Where do you draw the line? If a group of protesters decide to rob a bank, should a reporter just tag along, or should they take a step back once they realize something illegal is going on? How about if they're storming a restricted government area?

The journalist should legally report on what's happening, gather information, film (based on law - such as non-interference with first responders, etc.), and should be immune from prosecution and retribution. Like those covering the murder of Pretti and Good.

Unless Lemon conspired or aided and abetted he should not have been charged or spent a night in jail. Plain and simple.

Why this is vindictive, has nothing to do with Lemon's coverage of this protest:
1) Initial attempts to charge Lemon were rejected twice.
2) DOJ convened a grand jury because they couldn't arrest Lemon otherwise.
3) DOJ already pre-announced they wanted to get Lemon for anything they could and made it clear enough that his attorney, Abbe Lowell, sent a letter to DOJ saying if they intend to take Lemon in then they should contact the attorney and he will make sure it's all handled peacefully and orderly. DOJ refused to answer and obviously didn't want that. They wanted a show.
4) DOJ waited until the Grammy's and his arrival in Los Angeles
5) DOJ waited until 11 PM at night to force him to spend the night in jail (no judge until the morning)
6) DOJ sent an armada after him with masks and guns - to serve a warrant which ONE person could do.
7) Both Lemon and Georgia Fort are black journalists.
8) With the message sent to all journalists, especially ones of color, Lemon was released from jail on his own recognizance. Despite DOJ demanding restrictions on his travel and activities his planned trip to France is allowed.
9) Georgia Fort was similarly released, as were the other two.
11) All were persons were black.
12) Pam Blondi was out there immediately crowing about how this was a "coordinated attack" - Ms. Bondi has zero credibility.

Baker pleaded guilty to:
Unlawful entry of a restricted building or grounds.
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

Not what Lemon did. How that for a comparison?

Should/could Baker have fought it and come out as "not guilty"? Who knows. He didn't so we're left with what he was convicted of. He's been pardoned by the biggest criminal ever elected to the Presidency, though. The one who instigated the J6 insurrection.

If you're going to demand that J6 rioters be held responsible for any federal laws they knowingly violated (and you should), then you can't hold others to a different standard just because it's a different law they may have broken.

I didn't do that, though. Check your premise.

" A citizen journalist maybe:"

Which is what Lemon is at the moment. He doesn't work for any news outlet.

So dishonest, even after it's been spelled out. You call anyone a journalist if they feed your confirmation bias. That's a fundamental problem.

Petrous - what's your point?
I believe we all know that journalists can't violate the law. I already said that. That's the fundamental problem with using the FACE Act against Lemon.

Re: Baker..
Throwing in nebulous "others" and trying to one charge "trespass" is the same as what Baker pleaded guilt to "Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building" appears to be a deliberate attempt at conflation.

Sentinel asks A bigger question is what exactly did Lemon achieve by going in with the criminals that couldn't have been done without disrupting a religious service? Couldn't they have confronted the pastor when he was walking on the street or somewhere else?

He reported on what was happening. We all need reporters and journalists to do that. He didn't disturb the service but interviewed people who were at the service. I thought the interviews were quite good and got at how those parishioners felt with the interruption/demonstration. I said at the time I wished this hadn't happened at a church.

I wish the right-wing nutters hadn't assassinated those they targeted in the middle of church services, too.

That's the fundamental problem with using the FACE Act against Lemon.
Meaning Lemon did not violate the FACE Act, so that part of the case is ridiculous.

Putting a music teacher and wannabe a rightwing media personality in the same cateogory a nationally known journalist who used to work for CNN in the same category is ludicrous, and you know it. I'd say nice try, but really it's just lame:

Well said, Gal. Exactly right.

I've been consistent. I've stated it consistently. Read #8, #30, #50, #133. I even spelled out why Baker was guilty and what he was guilty of - violating the law. I even posted "I believe we all know that journalists can't violate the law. I already said that. That's the fundamental problem with using the FACE Act against Lemon."

It looks like he's trying to construct a reductio ad absurdum argument, and it's backfiring on him just like it does when most people on this site attempt to do that.

He's been doing that for a couple of days now. He's asked me if right-wing influencers with only a high-school diploma are journalists just like Lemon because both of them are "independent." It's absolutely ridiculous.

I was an independent consultant (engineering) for years, but very few people can do what I can do, and yes, it requires a specific degree and specific training and years of experience.

It's why I said he'll grant anyone the "title" of "journalist" as long as they tell him what he wants to hear.

Hey BillJohnson?
Still think you know more about all this than anyone else on this board?
We're all waiting for you to elucidate us.
Don't be shy!

Yes, but so far prosecuting someone for doing something you think is stupid is not illegal.
The original judge, a republican, destroyed DOJ for even trying to charge Lemon.
Lemon broke no laws.

Unless you want to buy into the bullshht "charges" from the weaponized Trump DOJ we don't prosecute people that don't violate the law. That's not even the point of charging Lemon.

Sentinel - serious question - can you hear how utterly wrong Lemon did something stupid that he deserves to be prosecuted for sounds? How the very premise of it is horrifically wrong?

YAV- He thinks O'Keefe is a journalist FFS.

It's a problem with this society in general these days - including the current pResident.

1/22/2026: A federal magistrate judge rejected the Justice Department's initial attempt to bring charges against journalist Don Lemon for appearing alongside protesters...

Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko said prosecutors had failed to present evidence to justify the arrests.

1/24/2026: A federal appeals court brushed back a secretive, emergency effort by the Justice Department to revive rejected arrest warrants for Don Lemon and four other people...

Minnesota's chief district judge Patrick Schiltz refused DOJ's request to take immediate action to arrest Lemon. "Federal prosecutors raced to the 8th Circuit, asking the court to issue a rarely used "writ of mandamus" to force Schiltz to grant the government's request "

Late Friday, a three-judge panel of the appeals court rejected the Trump administration's demand. The panel included Obama appointee Jane Kelly and two Trump appointees, Steven Grasz and Jonathan Kobes.

DOJ could not abide by all these decisions, so they tried a fourth time by convening a grand jury, finally getting what they desperately needed to go after Lemon.

How utterly transparent, vindictive, and outrageous. A level of weaponization never seen before. Exacty what we all expected with the false cries and accusations about "weaponization" from the Got Only Projection party.

Jack Smith would have proceeded because there was "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" to support criminal charges. But that's just not the way the ball (R)olls in T(R)umpworld.

BIll and Bell have gone missing.

Since FotP doesn't protect him, did he violate the Act?

The First Amendment protects him as it does everyone else.
Did he violate the FACE Act? Not from what I've seen.
I've said both these things over and over.

Lemon's own video footage has him being told to leave, right?
Yes, the Pastor asked him to leave so he could attend to his parishioners.
Lemon left a few minutes later.
The pastor did not file any trespass charges.
Nor did any local authorities.

DOJ is attempting to file based on federal civil rights basis.
IMHO this is a big fail on the part of DOJ based on the law they are trying to apply.

5 judges rejected your argument already, including 2 full in trump judges.

It's clearly NO for Lemon. Flat out NO. Geez, your reading comprehenion is really that bad, is it? How desperate are you to lump everyone in one group so you can make Lemon guilty?

by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally

The most generous (to you) reading of this would be Lemon intentionally physically obstructed and interfered with a person seeking to exercise "religious freedom" at a place of worship.

So again, no.

You keep wanting to broaden this out to the others. I wonder if you even know who the others are? Georgia Fort? She's a world-class journalist. Highly respected. What did she specifically do that violates the FACE Act? Anything different than Lemon? No? That's right.

You know what all 4 have in common?

Our US Government under Trump is a lying, deceitful, racist, vindictive, immoral, pile of shht heads entrenching fascism as quickly as they can. Let's hope we still have elections this year that are fair and everyone that is legally entitled to vote votes.