Freelance journalist Don Lemon was taken into custody on Friday in connection with the case anti-immigration demonstration that disrupted a church meeting in Minnesota and heightened friction between the public and the Trump administration, he said Associated Press.
Lemon was arrested by federal authorities in Los Angeles while on assignment to host the Grammy Awards, his attorney, Abbe Lowell, said. AP message.
What are the charges against Don Lemon?
The exact charges Lemon faces in connection with the Jan. 18 incident have not been specified at this time. His detention follows a magistrate’s decision last week to reject the prosecution’s initial attempt to bring charges against the reporter.
Lemon who left CNN in 2023 he claimed he had no ties to the activist group that entered the building and claimed he was only there as a journalist to report on the activists.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he’s always done,” Lowell said in a statement. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose job it is to illuminate the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
Lowell added that “Don will vigorously and thoroughly fight these allegations in court.”
A well-known civil rights lawyer and two other demonstrators were also arrested last week. Federal prosecutors alleged they committed civil rights violations by obstructing a service at Cities Church in St Paul, where the regional leader for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as presiding pastor.
Civil Rights Survey
The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation after protesters disrupted a rally by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” This involved a 37-year-old mother who was recently shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Cities Church is an affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention and lists David Easterwood, an ICE officer, as one of its ministers. It is common for Baptist ministers to maintain dual careers in other sectors.
“Hear it loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE COMBAT ATTACKS,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a social media post last week.
The Justice Department’s swift pursuit of a church disruption case is being scrutinized in light of its refusal to open a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Dobro by federal personnel.
The agency also did not say whether it would investigate the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was also killed by federal agents.
“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful protesters in Minnesota, the Trump Department of Justice is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, which in this case is the actual indictment of wrongdoing,” Lowell said.
