A magistrate judge refused to sign an arrest warrant for leftist commentator Don Lemon on charges related to his presence at a church invasion Sunday, and the judge’s ties to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison have raised questions about a potential conflict of interest.

Lemon traveled with and recorded a group of 30-40 agitators who disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul Sunday. The agitators targeted the church because a pastor on staff also appears to be the acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in St. Paul.

Lemon claims he was present as a reporter, not a participant.

Authorities arrested three of the group’s ringleaders Thursday on federal charges, but multiple sources confirmed to Fox News’ Bill Melugin that Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko had denied the Justice Department’s arrest warrant for Lemon. Melugin reported that Micko’s wife works as an assistant attorney general in Ellison’s office.

Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, praised the magistrate judge’s decision.

“The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter,” Lowell told Fox News Digital. “Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and........

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