Don Lemon arrested in connection to Minnesota church protest
Federal agents arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon Thursday night in connection with a Minnesota church protest, Lemon’s attorney announced Friday.
Lemon’s attorney called the arrest an attack on the First Amendment. He was reportedly taken into custody while covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said agents arrested three others alongside Lemon and noted more details would be released soon.
The arrests stem from an incident where protesters interrupted a service on Jan. 18 at Cities Church in St. Paul, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor. Lemon was in attendance but said he was not protesting. Rather, he was covering the demonstration as a journalist.
The protesters reportedly chanted “ICE out” during a service. Video of the protest shows that several congregants remained seated, joined the chants, recorded the protest or left the church, as Straight Arrow News previously reported.
Administration pursues protesters
Following the protests, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi said the administration would pursue and arrest the individuals who took part. Bondi called the protest a “coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
A few days later, the Justice Department announced it brought charges against three protesters and was seeking arrest warrants for five other people, including Lemon.
Those charged are facing conspiracy to deprive rights charges, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
However, a federal magistrate judge in Minnesota rejected charges against Lemon and a few others, and a federal appeals court denied a Justice Department request to force the judge to issue a warrant against Lemon. It is not clear whether a judge authorized Lemon’s arrest on Thursday or whether prosecutors secured a grand jury indictment.
First Amendment argument
Now that Lemon has been arrested, his attorney said he and Lemon will fight any charges “thoroughly in court.” The two have argued about Lemon’s First Amendment rights since before he was arrested.
“Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization,” Lemon previously stated. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
