The United States now operates under a blatantly two-tiered justice system, where conservative journalists are criminally charged for speech in public spaces, while left-wing media figures face zero consequences for harassing Americans and disrupting religious services.
Conservative journalist Kaitlin Bennett revealed this week that she was charged with a federal crime and fined by the National Park Service in St. Augustine for the so-called offense of asking Democrats questions on public property.
According to Bennett, federal agents targeted her while she was conducting on-the-street interviews, a form of journalism protected by the First Amendment. Despite being on public land, Bennett says she was cited and punished simply for engaging in political speech that the Left finds inconvenient.
Bennett addressed the incident directly in a post on X, writing:
“I was charged with a FEDERAL CRIME by @NatlParkService in St. Augustine, Florida for committing the GRAVE offense of asking Democrats questions on public property! Keep federal agents out of our cities… unless they’re locking up conservatives for different opinions!”
Unlike a standard traffic ticket, Bennett explained that this citation carries much heavier weight.
“The citation I received is not like a traffic ticket. It was issued by a federal agent. If I pay, it is equal to pleading guilty and I would have a criminal record. I am represented by @RemnantLaw and will be fighting this bogus charge.”
The citation I received is not like a traffic ticket. It was issued by a federal agent. If I pay, it is equal to pleading guilty and I would have a criminal record. I am represented by @RemnantLaw and will be fighting this bogus charge. pic.twitter.com/l51Jxmpe8J
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) January 22, 2026
Video footage of the confrontation, which has gone viral, shows a smug National Park ranger confronting Bennett, demanding she move to a designated “First Amendment area” on public property because they lacked a permit.
The National Park ranger can be heard admitting Bennett was on public property, only to immediately claim he had the authority to dictate which public space she was allowed to occupy.
When Bennett asserted her First Amendment rights as media, the ranger dismissed her, labeling her a “counter-protester,” despite the fact that she was clearly engaged in journalism.
At one point, the ranger even mocked Bennett by saying, “More content for you,” as he escalated the situation.
The ranger retorts by charging and issuing a federal ticket for “disobeying a lawful order,” which carries a staggering $530 fine, $500 forfeiture, plus a $30 processing fee.
When asked by another local journalist exactly what “lawful order” Bennett had disobeyed, the ranger reportedly could not provide a straight answer.
WATCH:
I was charged with a FEDERAL CRIME by @NatlParkService in St. Augustine, Florida for committing the GRAVE offense of asking Democrats questions on public property! Keep federal agents out of our cities… unless they’re locking up conservatives for different opinions! pic.twitter.com/FhrxMhzGOL
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) January 22, 2026
Now, contrast this with the treatment afforded to left-wing provocateurs like disgraced former CNN host Don Lemon. Just days ago, Lemon was caught on camera embedded with a mob of anti-ICE radicals who stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, during a Sunday service.
The protesters disrupted worship, harassed parishioners—including children—and accused the pastor of ties to immigration enforcement.
The post TWO-TIERED JUSTICE: Conservative Journalist Kaitlin Bennett Charged and Fined for Interviewing Democrats in Public — While Don Lemon Storms Churches With Zero Consequences appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.