The Tennessee Holler
TO RECAP: -A judge declined to approve a criminal complaint against @[email protected] -An appeals court rejected the Trump DOJ again -They arrested him anyway A lawless regime trampling our rights. 🇺🇸
Jan 30 at 2:32pmWeb
Show threadSteve BellovinJan 30
@thetnholler.bsky.social @[email protected] @adamshostack We don't yet know what happened. The articles (and the letter from the judge) about the original rejected arrest warrant noted that the government could come back with more evidence to support a probable cause finding, or it could ask a grand jury to indict him. If they successfully pursued either these paths—and again, we don't know yet—it's legal.
To be sure, I am concerned because the NY Times noted that "Attorney General Pam Bondi said that she had ordered the arrests"—and an AG can't just order an arrest without a warrant.
Show threadAdam Shostack  Jan 30
@SteveBellovin @thetnholler.bsky.social I am past the point where I make a presumption of regularity or good faith in cases involving senior official attention.
Show threadSteve BellovinJan 30
@adamshostack @thetnholler.bsky.social There is that. I don't think an FBI agent would make an arrest without a warrant, but Cthulhu only knows what ICE would do. (The WaPo story (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/30/don-lemon-arrest-minneapolis-church-protest/) says that there is a grand jury indictment but that it's not yet on the usual court sites.)
Don Lemon arrested by federal officials in connection with church protest

Former CNN host Don Lemon was arrested by federal officials and charged in connection with a church protest in Minneapolis that he had covered.

The Washington Post
Show threadSteve BellovinJan 30
@adamshostack @thetnholler.bsky.social See https://newrepublic.com/article/205972/trump-ice-arrested-don-lemon on the irregularities.
Trump’s Agents Arrested Don Lemon. Then the Story Got Even Darker.

Trump has been raging about the former CNN journalist. Attorney General Pam Bondi just had him arrested, a move one legal expert slammed as “highly irregular.”

The New Republic
Show threadslashJan 31
@SteveBellovin @adamshostack @thetnholler.bsky.social I saw a report on this the other day, and it sounded like all the judges they tried to involve tossed them out of the courtroom. All they can really charge them with (they said) is trespassing. Pay a fine. And Don Lemon and his crew can't even be charged for that, since clearly the event was news-worthy. 1A and all that.
Show threadParttimesailorJan 30
@thetnholler.bsky.social I guess he should sue for a few billion $