CNN's Dana Bash Grills Todd Blanche on Don Lemon Arrest

"But guess what? Our system doesn't allow judges to make that decision. They can make that decision to get an arrest warrant on a complaint, but only a grand jury can bring forth an indictment.And so that's what we did. We went to a grand jury, which, as you know, are 25 citizens from Minneapolis and around that decide whether there's probable cause. And that's who returned an indictment."

"Bash cited two of the acts of alleged conspiracy in the indictment and questioned why those actions should not be protected by the First Amendment. Defendant Lemon told his livestream audience about congregants leaving the church and about a young man who Lemon could see was frightened, scared and crying. And Lemon observed that the congregants' reactions were understandable because the experience was traumatic and uncomfortable, which he said was the purpose,' Bash said, quoting from the indictment."

The Department of Justice pursued a grand jury indictment against former CNN anchor Don Lemon and journalist Georgia Fort after magistrate-level arrest warrants were rejected. A conservative federal judge who clerked for Antonin Scalia wrote there was no evidence of criminal behavior or conspiracy, and questions arose after an appeals-court decision. The Deputy Attorney General said an appeals-court judge found probable cause and emphasized that only a grand jury can return an indictment. A grand jury of roughly 25 Minneapolis-area citizens returned the indictment. The indictment quotes Lemon describing congregants leaving, a frightened young man, and reactions described as traumatic, raising First Amendment questions.

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