It is disturbing to see the news about federal officials arresting journalists for actions they took while documenting a protest in St. Paul, Minnesota. Two independent journalists, Georgia Fort and Don Lemon, were arrested along with St. Paul activist Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy. Though initial reports are unclear what charges they are facing, the arrests are in connection with a protest that interrupted a church service on Jan. 18 when 30-40 people reportedly walked into Cities Church to voice protest that the pastor also works for ICE. Fort is a journalist who covers the Twin Cities and is a founder of BLCK Press and The Center for Broadcast Journalism. She was released from custody Friday afternoon. Lemon is a well-known journalist who formerly worked for CNN and now runs his own independent news broadcasts online. He has frequently been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and his administration. Lundy is a Democratic Candidate for the Minnesota State Senate, and Crews is the founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota. Three others were previously charged in connection with the protest: a Civil Rights attorney, a St. Paul School Board member, and a social media personality. All of the arrests seem politically motivated by a vindictive Attorney General Pam Bondi, who posted about them on social media, calling the protest a “coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul.” She also posted a video claiming she is “coming after” anyone who violates the ability for Americans to worship freely. pic.twitter.com/moL7xr4jZJ — Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 30, 2026 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThis is far from the first attack Trump and his administration have made against journalists. Since the beginning of his first political foray, Trump has referred to journalists as the “enemy of the people” and personally attacked the credibility of any outlet questioning him. He has encouraged physical assaults on people who voice dissent at his rallies. He has insulted reporters frequently just for doing their job and asking him questions. During his second term so far, they deported journalist Mario Guevara, a legal resident of the U.S., for livestreaming a “No Kings” protest. They raided the home of a Washington Post reporter, claiming they were looking for leaked documents. They have arrested and deported people for protesting and writing against the war in Israel. It is a line of rhetoric that has resonated with his MAGA base. Questioning the reliability of professional journalists while posting blatantly false or misleading things on social media has become a nearly daily pattern for Trump. He promised retribution against media outlets during his reelection campaign in 2024, including jailing reporters and pulling licenses for TV networks that report anything critical of him. Trump’s administration has stripped government websites of public information, created revisionist versions of events widely reported, like the Jan. 6 insurrection, and even revamped historical displays at museums and national parks to whitewash American history. Trump’s relationship with the truth has always been questionable, interesting for the guy who called his own social media company “Truth” after being booted from other platforms for spreading misinformation. His attacks on factual reporting and press freedoms are not something new, but straight out of the authoritarian playbook and the Project 2025 guidelines that have directed most of his actions. Weaponizing the Justice Department against his critics is not new either. Bondi has launched nearly countless investigations into people who have been critical of Trump in the past, so siccing his attack lawyers on journalists and protesters seems completely in character. It will get worse. Targeting independent journalists without the resources of large companies that own many newspapers and TV outlets shows a calculated move to try to intimidate reporters who may not be able to afford legal teams for their defense. Hopefully, judges come through and side with our Constitution. ...read more read less