Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles on Friday while covering The Grammy Awards, law-enforcement sources say, in connection with his presence at a Jan. 18 protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The arrest follows a demonstration inside Cities Church in St. Paul, where anti-immigration-enforcement protesters interrupted a worship service. Lemon, who has described himself as an independent journalist, livestreamed the event and was seen on video engaging with participants and congregants, the Daily Mail reported.
“He has been charged with conspiracy to deprive rights and with a violation of the FACE act, interfering by force of someone’s First Amendment right” to worship freely and without intimidation, the outlet reported.
Last week, a federal magistrate judge in Minnesota refused to sign a criminal complaint against Lemon related to the protest, saying prosecutors had not established probable cause at that stage.
The judge’s decision limited the government’s ability to initially pursue charges, though authorities continued efforts to secure formal indictments.
Lemon’s attorney Abbe Lowell criticized the arrest, calling it an unprecedented attack on press freedom and asserting that Lemon was covering the event in his capacity as a journalist.
Lemon has publicly said he attended the protest to document it and did not take part in planning or leading the disruption.
The protest in question drew national attention amid heightened tensions over federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota. In recent weeks, demonstrations in the region have centered on opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies and federal deployments following earlier confrontations between agents and local residents.
As of Friday, Lemon remained in federal custody in Los Angeles pending further legal proceedings. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, has since released a statement.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” he said. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”
He also falsely claimed that federal officials were arresting Lemon but not investigating the Border Patrol agents placed on leave after shooting and killing Minneapolis agitator Alex Pretti last week. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has said they are being subjected to the same internal investigation process as every other agent who has been involved in a similar incident.
Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will continue efforts to pursue criminal charges against individuals involved in a protest that disrupted the church service, including Lemon.
Bondi made the remarks during an appearance on Fox News, saying federal prosecutors are committed to enforcing laws protecting worshippers and places of worship. “If you protested and went into that church on Sunday, and you terrorized the parishioners, we are coming after you,” she said, adding that no individual is “above the law.”
“If you protested and went into that church on Sunday, and you terrorized the parishioners, we are coming after you… I don’t care who you are, if you’re a failed CNN journalist, you have no right to do that in this country. We don’t live in a third-world country. We’re going to protect our houses of worship in this country,” she told host Sean Hannity.
Bondi said that three people involved in the protest — Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly — were arrested this week in connection with the incident. Charging documents have not yet been made public, but a Biden-appointed federal judge has already ordered them released after deciding they were not flight risks.
