American journalist Don Lemon has been charged with federal civil rights crimes after being taken into custody on Thursday night.
The veteran journalist is charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during a January 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official served as a pastor. Another journalist and two protest participants were also arrested.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X on Friday that Lemon and others present at the protests were arrested under her orders.
“At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” her post reads.
In a statement to Variety Friday morning, CNN said: “The FBl’s arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment.”
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“…The First Amendment in the United States protects journalists who bear witness to news and events as they unfold, ensuring they can report freely in the public interest, and the DOJ’s attempts to violate those rights is unacceptable. We will be following this case closely,” the statement concluded.
Lemon was covering the Grammy Awards on Thursday in Los Angeles when he was taken into custody by federal agents, his lawyer, Abbe Lowell said.
He has worked as a journalist for 30 years, and “his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than the work he has always done,” his statement said.
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable,” it continued.
The charges came after a magistrate judge rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge the journalist last week.
Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023, has said he has no affiliation with the organization that entered the church and that he was there as a journalist covering protesters.
Lowell added that “Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
A civil rights attorney and two other people involved in the protest were also arrested last week and are accused of civil rights violations for disrupting the church service.
The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis.
Cities Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads an ICE field office. Many Baptist churches have pastors who also work other jobs.
The Justice Department’s investigation into the church incident follows its decision not to open a civil rights investigation into Good’s killing by a federal agent.
The department said Friday it will investigate the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by an ICE agent on January. 24.
“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 said.
— With files from The Associated Press
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