Liberal ESPN host Stephen A. Smith, who occasionally criticizes the Democrats for their outrageous stances, showed his true colors on Friday, defending Don Lemon’s leftwing terrorism under the guise of journalism.
“I’m a member of the press too, and ain’t no way in hell anybody in the field of journalism shouldn’t be supporting Don Lemon today. And that’s including anyone on the right, anybody in journalism,” Smith claimed while ignoring Lemon’s illegal actions.
Lemon was arrested on Friday morning for his involvement in storming a Minneapolis church earlier this month with deranged leftist activists. Lemon and his fellow anti-ICE insurrectionists illegally invaded the church service, interrupting worship and shutting down the church because the pastor has alleged ties to ICE.
Lemon livestreamed his participation in the event. “This is what the First Amendment is about, the freedom to protest,” Don Lemon said as his crowd harassed families with children. “I’m sure people here don’t like it, but protests are not comfortable.”
Pastor Jonathan Parnell took questions and shut down Don Lemon at the church, describing his behavior as “unacceptable” and “shameful” as Lemon defiantly claimed he has a First Amendment right to harass churchgoers. Lemon was extremely hostile and demanding as the pastor tried to explain very respectfully, “We’re here to worship Jesus,” and pleaded with Lemon to leave.
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But Lemon didn’t leave.
As noted in the unsealed indictment, Lemon and his co-conspirators “oppressed, threatened, and intimidated the Church’s congregantsand pastors by physically occupying most of the main aisle and rows of chairs near the front of the Church, engaging in menacing and threatening behavior,(for some) chanting and yelling loudly at the pastor and congregants, and/orphysically obstructing them as they attempted to exit and/or move aboutwithin the Church.”
Then, while “pepper[ing] him with questions to promote the operation’s message… ignored the pastor’s request and did not immediately leave the Church,” the indictment reads.
Lemon was further involved in the planning stages of the attack on religious freedoms. As The Gateway Pundit reported, Lemon actually admitted that he was embedded with co-conspirator and BLM activist Nekima Armstrong and the group of rabid protestors and that he had direct knowledge of the plan but could not disclose it to his audience. “These operations are surprise operations,” Lemon said on his livestream. “Again, we can’t tell you where they’re going.”
As noted in the indictment, “At the pre-operation briefing, defendants ARMSTRONG and ALLEN advised other co-conspirators, including defendants KELLY, LEMON, [], LUNDY, CREWS, FORT, and [] about the target of their operation (i.e., Cities Church) and provided instruction on how the operation would be conducted once they arrived at the Church.”
“During a discussion with defendant ARMSTRONG at thepre-op briefing, (a) defendant LEMON thanked defendant ARMSTRONG forwhat she was doing and assured her that he was ‘not saying … what’s going on’ (ie, was not disclosing the target of the operation); (b) defendantARMSTRONG explained that ‘Operation Pullup’ was a “clandestine” operation in which she and other agitators would ‘show up somewhere that isa key location, [where the targets] don’t expect us … , and we disrupt businessas usual. That’s what we’re about to go do right now.’; and (c) defendant Lemon said he would see her there,” the indictment continues.
“Before heading to the Church to join his co-conspirators, defendant LEMON advised his livestream audience that, ‘We’re going to head to the operation. Again, we’re not going to give any, any of the information away’ (ie. operational details that would disclose where he and his coconspirators were heading).”
This was not journalism. This is terrorism, disguised as activism by some and journalism by Don Lemon.
But Stephen A. Smith caved and virtue signaled to the left in a screaming rant about press freedom and the First Amendment, arguing that Lemon should be immune because he’s a “member of the press” and has been for decades.
“This is straight BS, what he’s going through!” Smith stammered. “You support this, you don’t you don’t support the First Amendment, you don’t support freedom of the press,” he continued, after claiming that Lemon simply “walked into a church to do interviews and stuff like that for a couple of minutes.”
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Smith: Whether you like it or not, Don Lemon is a member of the press. Don Lemon has been in journalism for 30 years! Don Lemon worked at CNN for 17 years! And just because you don’t have a specific organization that you’re working for, that’s where the word independence comes from. It doesn’t mean that your journalism credentials are stripped, not when you’ve been doing it for decades like him! This is straight BS, what he’s going through!
I’m a member of the press too, and ain’t no way in hell anybody in the field of journalism shouldn’t be supporting Don Lemon today. And that’s including anyone on the right, anybody in journalism. I’m not saying it was wise. I’m not saying I would have done it. I’m not saying he should have walked into a church to do interviews and stuff like that for a couple of minutes. But it don’t warrant this. You support this, you don’t you don’t support the First Amendment, you don’t support freedom of the press. Don Lemon has been critical of me. I don’t give a damn.
The post (VIDEO) “This is Straight BS What He’s Going Through” – Stephen A. Smith Gives Pathetic Defense of Don Lemon, Cries About the First Amendment appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.