Don Lemon’s insistence that he was “just reporting” during a disruptive anti-ICE protest in Minnesota is getting harder to swallow, and now it’s being undercut by the words of one of his own alleged collaborators.
This week, Jerome Richardson, a senior political science major at Temple University, surrendered to federal authorities over his role in the January 18 chaos at Cities Church in St. Paul. That same incident led to Lemon’s arrest and federal charges after demonstrators stormed a worship service, shouted down congregants, and effectively shut the church down.
According to The Temple News, Richardson admitted he “helped Lemon with logistics and local contacts” ahead of the protest. That detail alone punches a massive hole in Lemon’s carefully rehearsed claim that he was merely an independent journalist who happened to be present.
Richardson didn’t just quietly cooperate with authorities either. Before turning himself in, he went public. In an Instagram post, he openly described himself as someone who “assisted Don Lemon” by helping connect him with local activists tied to the anti-ICE operation in Minnesota. He framed his actions as a matter of “conscience and faith,” while simultaneously acknowledging that his support put him squarely in the crosshairs of federal law enforcement.
That’s not journalism. That’s coordination.
Attorney General Pam Bondi made the administration’s position crystal clear after Richardson’s surrender. “If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you,” she wrote, announcing additional arrests connected to what the Justice Department has described as a coordinated attack on religious freedom.
Lemon, the former CNN anchor, was arrested last week and briefly held before being released without bail following a court appearance in Los Angeles. He is due back in court in Minneapolis on February 9. He continues to argue that the First Amendment shields him completely, despite mounting evidence that his role went far beyond passive observation.
Richardson’s own statements suggest Lemon wasn’t just holding a camera. He was being helped on the ground, plugged into activist networks, and embedded with people who planned and carried out the disruption. Federal prosecutors allege the defendants conspired to interfere with the congregants’ right to worship, a serious charge that has nothing to do with press freedom.
Temple University, for its part, has tried to distance itself from the mess. A spokesperson acknowledged awareness of the arrest but declined to comment, offering boilerplate language about valuing free speech while encouraging students to act “lawfully.”
That’s the part Lemon keeps skipping. Free speech does not include storming a church mid-service or helping others do it. And thanks to one student’s loose lips, the “just a journalist” defense is starting to look like pure fiction.
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