(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Leftist magazine Mother Jones drew mounting ridicule over the weekend after publishing a piece critics say was designed to shield Don Lemon, the YouTuber now federally indicted over his alleged role in the anti-ICE riot inside Cities Church.
The article, written by the outlet’s national correspondent Kiera Butler, attempted to reframe the riot by casting the St. Paul-based church as extremist, claiming it had vague “ties to Christian nationalism.”
Here’s the catch: critics noted that the so-called ties amounted to little more than ideological guilt by association.
The piece pointed to no evidence tying Cities Church’s current leadership to any Christian nationalist groups. When asked for clarification in an email from Headline USA, Butler did not respond.
Instead, her article claimed the church was “founded in part” by pastor Joe Rigney, who is no longer affiliated with the church and whom Mother Jones described as a “close associate” of pastor Doug Wilson.
Despite having no formal ties to the church, Wilson was depicted as a proxy for Christian nationalism.
The article claimed Wilson had made controversial comments about women years ago, though Wilson has previously said Mother Jones mischaracterized the statements.
Those details ignited backlash on X, as critics blasted the outlet for smearing worshippers to deflect blame from Lemon.
Conservative podcast host Erick Erickson blasted the article’s framing, writing: “You see Don Lemon is innocent because they got what they deserved. This is where the Left is now. And it will be reflected in how the msm covers this.”
X user John Roush dismantled the piece in a lengthy critique:
Oh. So one of the founders of the church later left that church to work at another church in a completely different state, run by another man who has expressed views contrary to liberal outlooks. Even worse, Pete Hegseth attends a similar church aligned with this other man…
— John Roush (@JohnRou63401193) January 31, 2026
Columnist Bonchie distilled the argument even further. “The ‘ties’ here are that one person she claims helped start the church 10 years ago (who is no longer there) was friends with another pastor, who is liked by some nationalist types,” Bonchie wrote. “Excellent journalism by Kiera. Totally not a three degrees of separation hit piece.”
