Breaking news on Minnesota church attack and arrests of key organizers.<\/b>
\n‚Cause I’m as free as a tab now, and this tab you cannot change .
???? BREAKING: The main organizer of the church attack in Minnesota, has now been PERP WALKED after being ARRESTED this morning at the direction of @AGPamBondi
MASSIVE FAFO right here!
Nekima Levy Armstrong is now in FEDERAL CUSTODY, as is Chauntyll Louisa Allen
MORE ARRESTS\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/UxYJCJrsZ0\u2014 Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 22, 2026
Ed: As of this afternoon when I put this together, we’re at three arrests, but Don Lemon is not among them. More arrests will come later, too, as the other organizers and offenders are identified. Remember how the DoJ treated the J6 riot? The perps here had better understand the precedent they just walked themselves into.
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John Hinderaker at Power Line: The FACE Act clearly applies. It says, in relevant part:
Whoever\u2013
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(b) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, \u2026 interferes with \u2026 any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship;
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shall be subject to the penalties provided\u2026
Those penalties include imprisonment of up to one year.
I hope that Armstrong, Lemon and others are prosecuted under the FACE Act, which, as AG Bondi has pointed out, can have enhanced penalties under the Ku Klux Klan Act. Presumably those charges will have to be brought in St. Paul, however, and that makes convictions doubtful. We are entering an era of jury nullification, I fear, and I suspect convictions of left-wingers will be difficult to obtain in any anti-Trump jurisdiction.
Ed: That’s a fair concern. The DoJ could ask for a change in venue, but those are not easily granted by courts. The Constitution requires a jury of one’s peers, and geography matters. That doesn’t mean that the DoJ should stand down, however. In fact, it makes these prosecutions even more important.
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Somebody is above the law. https:\/\/t.co\/hJfySJH2Kb\u2014 John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) January 22, 2026
Ed: Not for long, I suspect.
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Andrew C. McCarthy at NRO: When the government seeks an arrest warrant, that is not a trial. It is not even a grand jury presentation \u2014 at which, similarly, the person targeted is not present and does not get to present his side of the story. The only question is whether there is probable cause; making one\u2019s defense happens later.
Lemon may have a very strong First Amendment defense if he is charged with a violation of the FACE Act, which, in addition to \u201cfreedom of access to clinic entrances\u201d (i.e., protection of access to abortion), criminalizes similar interference with the exercise of religious liberty at places of worship. (See Section 248 of the federal criminal code.) The same would be true if he were charged with a violation of the civil right statutes in federal criminal law (see, e.g., Section 241, conspiracy against rights). But understand: this would be a defense if he is charged with a crime. It is not immunity from being charged with a crime in the first place.
As we\u2019ve noted before, magistrate judges are not full-fledged Article III judges. They are lawyers who work for the court. They lighten the load of district judges by carrying out various tasks, including fact-finding in litigation. In that capacity, they are routinely asked to issue arrest or search warrants based on probable-cause affidavits. (Such an affidavit is called a \u201ccomplaint\u201d when filed in support of an arrest.) If the magistrate judge makes a determination to which the government objects, prosecutors can bring the dispute to a district judge, who can overrule the magistrate judge.
Ed: I suspect that Bondi and Dhillon are in the middle of that process right now. There is also the potential of taking this case to a grand jury and getting an indictment in that manner, which would bypass this magistrate step, I believe.
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NEW: Attorneys representing Cities Church in St. Paul respond to the arrests of three anti-ICE activists accused of storming a service on Sunday:
Statement from Renee Carlson, General Counsel for True North Legal:
\u201cThe First Amendment does not allow premeditated plots or\u2026\u2014 Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) January 22, 2026
\u201cThe First Amendment does not allow premeditated plots or coordinated actions to violate the sanctity of a sanctuary, disrupt worship, and intimidate small children. There is no \u2018press pass\u2019 to invade a sanctuary or to conspire to interrupt religious services. The Constitution protects citizens from threats against fundamental rights by the government, but it also requires government to protect those same rights when they are jeopardized by private actors.“
Statement from Doug Wardlow, Director of Litigation for True North Legal:
\u201cThe First Amendment protects the God-given rights of every American to assemble and to worship God. It does not give anyone the right to invade a church and terrorize worshippers. That\u2019s a federal crime: the FACE Act prohibits intimidating or interfering with people worshipping in a church. It is outrageous that, instead of doing their jobs and protecting Minnesotans\u2019 rights, state officials like Keith Ellison choose to mock the invasion of a church.“
„Thankfully, the U.S. Department of Justice acted decisively by arresting those who coordinated and carried out the terrible crime. The arrests and the prosecutions to follow will help ensure that mob aggression like Cities Church experienced will not be repeated in any other house of worship. We are thankful for the Justice Department\u2019s swift action, and we are exploring all legal options to protect the church and prevent further invasions.\u201d
Ed: I know Doug and am happy to see him engaged on this case. I also hope that they start going after the money behind these operations, because that’s the only way this comes to an end.
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ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED.
On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration.
As agents approached the driver Adrian\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/UmxxV34omm\u2014 Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 22, 2026
As agents approached the driver Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot\u2014abandoning his child. For the child\u2019s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias.
Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration\u2019s immigration enforcement. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 with the CBP Home app. By using the CBP Home app illegal aliens reserve the chance to come back the right legal way.
Ed: Democrats like Ilhan Omar want violence in the streets, and are deliberately disseminating propaganda to incite violent reactions. Omar and the Squad want a revolution, not reasoned governance.
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Washington Free Beacon: „Are there plans now to rearrest [Khalil] and continue with deportation proceedings?“ NewsNation host Katie Pavlich asked McLaughlin.
„There are“, McLaughlin replied. „And it looks like he\u2019ll go to Algeria. That\u2019s what the thought is right now.“
„It\u2019s a reminder for those who are in this country on a visa or on a green card“, she added. „You are a guest in this country. Act like it. It is a privilege, not a right, to be in this country to live or to study. And if you\u2019re pushing propaganda that relishes the killings of Americans or promotes terrorists, door\u2019s that way.“
McLaughlin\u2019s announcement comes less than a week after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit threw out a district court order that released Khalil from detention, ruling he could be rearrested and deported. That decision could also provide the Trump administration with new legal justifications against other foreign nationals it\u2019s aiming to deport over anti-Semitic activities.
Ed: It’s absurd that Khalil remains in the country at this point. If he wants to agitate for Hamas, he can do that in Algeria or any number countries other than the US. We are not required to provide residential status to those who pass along propaganda from terror networks.
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NEW: Tennis star Amanda Anisimova shuts down smug reporter who asked if she was proud to represent America at the Australian Open
Reporter: How do you feel playing under the American flag right now?
Anisimova: I’m always proud to represent my country.
Reporter: Just to clarify\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/RwtXmoeap5\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 22, 2026
Ed: I have a new favorite tennis player! But why was this question even asked? That reporter should be fired, but we all know that he will get an attaboy instead.
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Associated Press: President Donald Trump sued banking giant JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion on Thursday over allegations that JPMorgan stopped providing banking services to him and his businesses for political reasons after he left office in January 2021.
The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County court in Florida, alleges that JPMorgan abruptly closed multiple accounts in February 2021 with just 60 days notice and no explanation. By doing so, Trump claims JPMorgan and Dimon cut the president and his businesses off from millions of dollars, disrupted their operations and forced Trump and the businesses to urgently open bank accounts elsewhere. .
In the lawsuit, Trump alleges he tried to raise the issue personally with Dimon after the bank started to close his accounts, and that Dimon assured Trump he would figure out what was happening. The lawsuit alleges Dimon failed to follow up with Trump. Further, Trump\u2019s lawyers allege that JPMorgan placed the president and his companies on a reputational \u201cblacklist\u201d that both JPMorgan and other banks use to keep clients from opening accounts with them in the future.
Ed: I suspect that we will see a settlement in the low eight figures, somewhat akin to the CBS and ABC settlements. Trump wants vindication more than money in all of these clashes, and Dimon has to work with the White House for another three years. Dimon won’t enjoy the discovery or deposition processes either, so my best bet is that he opts to get out as cheaply as possible.
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.@VP sends a message to anti-ICE activists: go ahead and protest, but do it peacefully, or you will be found and prosecuted. pic.twitter.com\/r52HZBiRdL\u2014 Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 22, 2026
Ed: Translation: More arrests are coming.<\/p>\n