By now, most of you have heard the good news. Yesterday, NPR reported “Feds arrest Don Lemon, Minnesota journalist and 2 others over church protest.” Haha, “protest,” good one, NPR. Now let’s see if we can find a bigger picture.
Late Thursday, FBI agents nabbed four more people involved in the St. Paul church raid, including sour podcaster Don Lemon. The four were arraigned and released yesterday (no bond). The arrests followed a brief struggle between the DOJ and local Minneapolis judges who refused to sign Lemon’s arrest warrant. So instead, the DOJ convened a federal grand jury and indicted them— a second and more serious path.
Lemon later complained, “the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for covering the news.” Wake up, Don! Former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta called Lemon’s arrest “outrageous” and cried, “This cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America.” Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, said, “Don Lemon’s arrest is an egregious violation of the First Amendment.”
The best development in all this is the Left’s new appreciation for the Constitution, even though just a few years back, they were complaining the founding document needed to be scrapped.
But the Constitution might not actually be involved. Lemon helpfully posted selfie videos confirming his involvement in the church raid, often referring to the group as “we,” and calling the invasion “our operation.” To date, the DOJ has charged nine activists —and I included Lemon here— with federal crimes for interfering with others’ constitutional rights.
Two years ago, Democrats cackled gleefully when peaceful abortion center protesters were convicted of FACE Act violations. How they laughed! Good times. But for some reason, they aren’t nearly as enthusiastic this time. It is a surreal mirror image— but with less sympathetic actors. Just substitute a mosque for the church, and some angry “Christian Nationalists” for the unhinged Minnesota activists, and it should be obvious how outraged liberals would be.
Anyway, and despite that, Democrats are outraged at Lemon’s arrest in particular, because, they howled, he is a journalist. Journalists enjoy special First Amendment protections. But that does not extend to crimes, and they know it, since progressives always clap like Energizer Bunnies whenever conservative influencers are charged. Just ask James O’Keefe.
Why the different treatment now? Why is solo podcaster Lemon delicately draped in institutional protections, and his arrest is outrageous, but liberals consider a hidden-camera reporter with a multi-million dollar media company to be fair game?
There’s a simple answer. It’s the two-tiered double-standard of justice. Lemon, despite being cast down from the cushy clouds of corporate media, is still considered elite class.
Thus, the debate —if you can call it that— over Lemon’s charges and arrest is really about his elite status, his membership in the protected class. It isn’t supposed to work this way.
Finally, and most interesting of all, was the near-complete absence of any discussion in corporate media this time about whether podcasters are “real journalists.” For years, Democrats have refused to recognize lowly independent podcasters as “real journalists” deserving the same First Amendment armor as New York Times reporters.
But yesterday’s battalions of sneering stories simply assumed that Lemon is a journalist, without any quibbling at all. This might be the very best news, since conservatives dominate the podcast world. Congratulations, Joe Rogan! Congratulations, Matt Walsh! You’ve finally made it into the halcyon ranks of approved journalism.
Still, I wouldn’t bet your bitcoin they’ll leap to defend conservative podcasters next time.
After Lemon’s midnight arrest in LA (he was there for the Grammys), his processing, brief detention, and arraignment, Lemon remained defiant: “I look forward to my day in court.” Us too! All the media’s arguments about Lemon’s First Amendment rights are irrelevant; his lawyers will raise those arguments, and a court —or more likely, an appellate court— will decide.
Best of luck to you, Don, even though you wanted me banned from hospitals and grocery stores during the pandemic. No hard feelings.
