Don Lemon Arrested by Federal Authorities in Connection With Minnesota Church Protest
- Brandon West
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Journalist Don Lemon was arrested overnight by federal authorities, according to his attorney and multiple sources with direct knowledge who spoke to CBS News.
The arrest comes nearly two weeks after Lemon was present at an anti-immigration protest that disrupted a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Sources say the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations were involved, and a grand jury was empaneled Thursday.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed he was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he had been 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 in a statement. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”
Lowell said the Justice Department has focused on arresting Lemon instead of investigating the federal agents who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota earlier this month, calling it “the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case.”
“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,” he said.
CNN, where Lemon previously worked, also issued a statement.
“The Department of Justice already failed twice to get an arrest warrant for Don and several other journalists in Minnesota, where a chief judge of the Minnesota Federal District Court found there was ‘no evidence’ that there was any criminal behavior involved in their work,” the network said. “The First Amendment in the United States protects journalists who bear witness to news and events as they unfound, ensuring they can report freely in the public interest, and the DOJ’s attempts to violate those rights is unacceptable.”
Last week, a federal appellate court declined to order a lower court judge to sign arrest warrants for five people, including Lemon, tied to the Jan. 18 protest. However, one of the three appellate judges said he believed there was probable cause for arrests, according to court filings and sources familiar with the matter.
Multiple people have been charged in connection with the protest, which took place after demonstrators learned one of the church’s pastors is an ICE official. The Justice Department argued the defendants unlawfully interfered with churchgoers’ constitutional right to practice religion.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Lemon and three others were arrested “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
A source briefed on the investigation said Lemon faces charges of conspiracy to deprive others of their civil rights and violating the FACE Act by allegedly interfering by force with others’ First Amendment rights.
CNN added that the arrest raises “profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment” and that it will follow the case closely.
Prior to his arrest, Lemon said he stood by his reporting.
“If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it would be far better used investigating the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good — the very issue that brought people into the streets in the first place,” he said in a statement last week.
Details of the full charges were not immediately available. Stay tuned in to ObsessedWeekly.com for updates.
