On January 29, secret federal police (“Homeland Security Investigations”) arrested journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for covering, and activists Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy for planning and organizing, a protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota church.

Arresting two journalists for covering an event most Americans correctly condemned — if you want to hold a protest during a religious service, hold it somewhere other than in the church — is a great way to create a “chilling effect” on journalism … and distract the public’s attention from other events.

If Crews and Lydell did indeed to conspire to violate the rights of others (a crime under 18 U.S.C. §241) and to interfere with religious worship (a crime under 18 U.S.C. §248), they’ll hopefully be held to appropriate legal account.

But covering such events as news isn’t a crime. It’s unlikely that the charges against Lemon and Fort will avoid dismissal by a judge and make it all the way to trial, and even more unlikely that a jury will convict them. Their arrests were part of a public relations campaign. Look! Shiny object!

So, why arrest them on January 29?

For the same reason president Donald Trump picked that day to declare yet another fake “state of emergency,” this time concerning the sudden and urgent importance  of the “Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba” that US presidents have asserted periodically over the last 72 years.

On January 30, the US Department of Justice three million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images pursuant to its halting, overdue, and partial compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Another three million pages are, according to federal prosecutors, “potentially responsive” the law’s requirements, but DOJ says it’s done bothering with little things like obeying the law where the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein is concerned.

Don’t look, Ethel! (Too late).

At least 4,500 of the three million documents mention Trump himself. Those mentions include evidence that he associated with Epstein for longer, and until later, than he’s previously claimed, and that he flew on Epstein’s private jet more times than he’s previously admitted. They also include allegations — not proven — of his involvement in the sexual abuse of minor girls and the murder of an infant born to one of those girls.

Other documents in the tranche shed light on (or at least bring heat on) Epstein’s relationships with  powerful people such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick, and Trump’s prospective nominee to head the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh.

Kinda makes one wonder what’s in the files they AREN’T releasing, doesn’t it?

I guess I can see why Trump and friends picked January 29 to pour some Lemon aid into the ol’ news cycle.

Nice try, but no Cuban cigar.

Thomas L. Knapp (X: @thomaslknapp | Bluesky: @knappster.bsky.social | Mastodon: @knappster) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.

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