Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles late Thursday, his lawyer said, a week after a magistrate judge declined to sign off on a complaint charging him over his involvement in an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota.
Lemon, who now works independently, was covering the Grammy Awards when federal agents took him into custody, his lawyer Abbe Lowell said, calling the arrest an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration.”
“Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” Lowell said.
The arrest came amid pressure from President Trump to prosecute protesters who have clashed with federal agents conducting a sweeping immigration operation in the Twin Cities.
Lemon was present when a group of demonstrators interrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, targeting a pastor who they said also works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Protesters that day shouted “ICE out!” and chants calling for justice for Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent this month in Minneapolis.
Lemon said he was in attendance as an independent journalist, not a participant. “I’m just here photographing, I am not part of the group…I am a journalist,” he said in a video documenting the encounter.
Attorney General Pam Bondi was enraged by the magistrate’s earlier decision not to sign off on the complaint charging Lemon, and Justice Department officials made clear they would try again.
Follow the MoneyCentral Nigeria channel on WhatsApp: Click here!
