President Donald Trump appeared determined to dig into the affairs of one of his most outspoken media critics, former CNN host Don Lemon, pursuing records tied to the independent journalist’s YouTube operation as part of a criminal investigation.
But when investigators finally got their request in front of a judge, the effort came to a screeching halt.
A Minnesota judge rejected Homeland Securitry Investigation agent Timothy Gerber’s bid to obtain subscriber information tied to Lemon’s YouTube channel and account, ruling there was no probable cause linking the records prosecutors sought to any crime.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Docherty made the ruling in the case in February, but the documents were unsealed on Tuesday, May 26, according to news outlets.
In the decision, Docherty wrote, “There is no attempt made to explain why the compilation by the government of a comprehensive index of subscribers to ‘The Don Lemon Show’ is evidence that a crime was committed.”
But he wasn’t done.
“That this information may be seized only to determine ‘events relating to the crime under investigation and to the Account owner’ is little comfort, since subscriber information is not needed to prove or disprove the commission of a crime,” the judge continued, adding, “indeed, it is hard to see how such information could be relevant evidence of the commission of a crime,” the Daily Beast reported.
“There is no probable cause set out in the search warrant application,” the judge concluded.
Back in January Lemon went to a church in Minneapolis during a deadly Trump administration crackdown on immigrants in the city where an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement was the pastor.
He, along with almost 40 other people, was arrested, and the following month pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges related to interfering with a religious gathering.
Critics say Trump has weaponized the previously non-partisan Department of Justice to go after his perceived enemies, including author E. Jean Carroll.
The DOJ started a criminal investigation into Carroll this week to probe whether in her civil cases against Trump she committed perjury. In 2023 a jury awarded her $5 million, finding that Trump sexually abused and defamed her.
Then in 2024 she won more than $83 million in a defamation case against Trump, who does not have to pay until the Supreme Court decides whether to take up the case.
Political commentator and author Keith Boykin called out Trump and the DOJ for the blatant political retribution on CNN’s “NewsNight With Abby Phillip.”
“Every time Trump has an enemy, those people mysteriously end up being prosecuted or investigated by the federal government from the Justice Department, and the person who’s running the Justice Department is his personal lawyer right now. That just does not pass the smell test,” Boykin pointed out.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche represented Trump as his lead criminal defense attorney for years before Trump hired him to work in his administration.
Boykin listed others Trump has gone after, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI director James Comey, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
View on Threads
Social media erupted over the egregious nature of what’s happening over Trump’s use of power.
“Our federal government is now the mob,” a Threads user declared.
Others chimed in on MSN, “HSI is acting like the KGB and it needs to stop!!”
Dramaqueen2776 wrote, “As a paralegal, WHERE is the ethics committee? WTF, do your damn job! This is way beyond a conflict of interest!”
Another added, “47 doesn’t like Don Lemon. That’s it. That’s the whole reason for the court case. If it had been Jesse Watters covering the protest, he’d have been left alone.”
