A former top federal prosecutor who resigned last month from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota has joined the legal team of former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who is facing federal charges tied to an immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a church service.
Joseph H. Thompson wrote in a court filing Tuesday that he has entered an appearance as counsel of record for Lemon in the case. Lemon is reportedly next scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday.
Thompson resigned alongside several colleagues last month amid reports that the Department of Justice was reluctant to investigate a federal officer who fatally shot Renee Good on Jan. 6 in Minneapolis.
Authorities have said Good was shot while striking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with the car she was driving. Others have disputed that account of the events immediately before Good was killed.
Thompson previously served as lead prosecutor in Minnesota's Feeding Our Future fraud investigation after being appointed by President Donald Trump as acting U.S. attorney in 2025. As first assistant U.S. attorney, he announced more charges tied to fraud investigations involving state programs in December.
Lemon is among nine people charged by DOJ with conspiracy against religious freedom following the disruption at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The incident occurred as protesters opposed what they described as a federal immigration enforcement crackdown in the state.
Lemon was reporting from the church as protesters disrupted the Sunday service after alleging that one of the pastors, David Easterwood, was serving as acting director of the ICE field office in St. Paul.
Lemon, who livestreamed the incident, has said that he attended the service in a journalistic capacity and that he was tipped off about the demonstration in advance.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.