Don Lemon was “taken into custody by federal agents” on Thursday evening, according to his lawyer.
The former CNN anchor has been charged with violating a federal law by allegedly impeding individuals’ right to worship during the anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 18, the New York Times reported Friday.
The 59-year-old was handcuffed in Los Angeles after attending the 2026 Recording Academy Honors.
Lemon, notably, is in California covering this weekend’s Grammys.
His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, promised in a statement via Instagram that “Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
He claimed, “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done. The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, [Renee Good and Alex Pretti], the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this case,” the statement continued.
Lowell referred to his client’s arrest as an “attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration” — and an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”
The government, notably, sought to charge eight people in connection with the church protest, which included 30 to 40 people seeking to confront pastor David Easterwood, who is the director for St. Paul’s ICE field office.
Lemon posted a video from the protest at the time, saying, “I’m sure people here don’t like it, but protests are not comfortable.”
That night, Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted, “If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”
Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, for his part, told Lemon he was “on notice,” claiming on social media that “a house of worship is not a public forum for your protest.”
Last week, a magistrate judge approved charges against three individuals — not Lemon — and those people were arrested as of Jan. 22.
A federal appeals court subsequently denied the Justice Department’s right to issue the other five warrants.
Lemon’s lawyer wrote in a statement that the “magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter.”
Lemon himself pointed out to Fox News Digital that he’d been “cast as the face of a protest” despite not being “the only reporter there.”
Amid a “barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs,” he insisted, “I stand by my reporting.”
“This much time and energy … 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,” Lemon, who was ousted from CNN over a sexism scandal in 2023, concluded.
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