Don Lemon hires ex-prosecutor who resigned from Justice Division to characterize him

A high-profile former prosecutor who was a part of a wave of resignations from the Justice Division’s workplace in Minneapolis final month has a stunning new shopper: Former CNN anchor Don Lemon.

Former Assistant U.S. Lawyer Joe Thompson notified a choose Tuesday that he now represents Lemon, who’s battling expenses from the Justice Division stemming from a protest at a Minnesota church service. Lemon is additionally represented by well-known D.C.-based lawyer Abbe Lowell.

Thompson labored as a prosecutor for the Justice Division for over a decade, serving at one level final 12 months as performing U.S. Lawyer in Minnesota. He is been identified in current months for main a collection of fraud prosecutions that ensnared over 90 defendants accused of bilking Minnesota’s public help packages. Thompson estimated the fraud schemes — which drew the Trump administration’s consideration — value the state no less than $9 billion.

However Thompson and a number of other different prosecutors resigned final month from the U.S. Lawyer’s workplace. The resignations stemmed partially from considerations over a push to analyze the widow of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent, CBS Information reported on the time.

Makes an attempt to achieve Thompson for remark have been unsuccessful.

Lemon and eight others have been indicted final month in reference to a protest that disrupted a church service. He was charged with one depend of conspiracy towards non secular freedom and one depend of interfering with the train of non secular freedom at a spot of worship.

Lemon was current through the demonstration on the church in St. Paul, Minnesota, which was sparked by a discovery that one of many pastors was an ICE official.

The previous CNN journalist-turned-streaming host has stated he was overlaying the protest as a reporter, not collaborating in it, and he had no affiliation with the protesters who have been charged.

Lowell stated in an announcement after Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles late final month: “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no completely different than what he has all the time completed … The First Modification exists to guard journalists whose function it’s to shine gentle on the reality and maintain these in energy accountable.”

The Justice Division confronted some early obstacles within the Lemon case, after a Minnesota Justice of the Peace choose refused to signal a grievance charging him over the protest. The next week, Lemon and others have been indicted by a grand jury, and federal regulation enforcement personnel arrested him. He was launched on his personal recognizance with out posting bond.