Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been taken into federal custody in what his attorney called an "unprecedented attack on the First Amendment,” in connection with an anti-ICE protest inside a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, was arrested late Thursday on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in Minnesota earlier this month, according to his lawyer.
Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Lemon, said that Lemon was “taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards”.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said. “The first amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump justice department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case,” Lowell added. “This unprecedented attack on the first amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
The New York Times and CBS News also both reported the arrest on Friday morning. It is understood that Lemon remains in custody as of Friday. The Guardian has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.
“This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!” Lemon’s former CNN colleague Jim Acosta wrote in a post on X.
The arrest comes as last week a federal magistrate judge took the unusual step of declining to sign off on an arrest warrant for Lemon, a decision that reportedly enraged Pam Bondi, the attorney general.
“We’re going to pursue this to the ends of the Earth,” Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department’s civil rights division, said during an interview with Megyn Kelly on Friday.
In a video posted to his online show’s YouTube channel, Lemon attended a protest in which demonstrators disrupted a church service on 18 January. In an interview with Lemon, a demonstrator described the action as a clandestine operation in which they disrupt “business as usual” at a surprise location. Three demonstrators have already been arrested in connection with the protest on charges of conspiring to interfere with the civil rights of others.
“Our church had gathered for worship, which we do every Sunday. We asked them to leave and they have not,” Jonathan Parnell, the church’s pastor said in an interview with Lemon. Lemon also said during the interaction protesters had chosen the church because there was someone there “who was a member of ICE.”
Donald Trump has criticized Lemon, calling him a “loser, lightweight.”
“I saw him the way he walked in that church it was terrible,” Trump said during a White House press briefing. “I have such respect for that pastor. He was so calm, he was so nice. He was just accosted. What they did in that church was horrible.”
After the magistrate judge rejected charges against Lemon, Lowell said the department should drop its effort against his client.
“Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” he said.
