Journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles late Thursday in connection with a January 18th protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators disrupted a service to protest a pastor who also serves as an ICE field director.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department has already charged several people over the incident under federal laws that protect religious worship. Prosecutors initially sought to bring a case against Lemon as well, but a magistrate judge rejected that request last week, citing “insufficient” evidence.
Lemon said he was at the protest in a journalistic capacity and that his conduct is protected by the First Amendment.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement. “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.”
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Lemon, who was in Los Angeles to cover the Grammys, is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday morning.
