A judge on Friday ordered Don Lemon to be released on his own recognizance, after he was indicted on charges of interfering with a religious service during an ICE protest in Minnesota.
Speaking outside the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Lemon said that he will not be deterred from his work as an independent journalist.
“I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” he said. “I will not stop ever. Last night, the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for something that I have been doing for the last 30 years, and that is covering the news. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects me and countless other journalists who do what I do. I stand with all of them, and I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.”
Judge Patricia Donahue rejected the government’s request to order a $100,000 bond, and also denied a request to limit his travel to New York and Minnesota. Lemon wore a cream-colored suit. He spoke briefly, affirming the he had read and understood the charges against him.
Alexander Robbins, the assistant U.S. attorney, argued that the restrictions were needed because Lemon poses a threat to the community.
“The defendant knowingly joined a mob to storm into a church and terrorize people engaged in worship services,” Robbins argued.
Lemon’s attorney, Marilyn Bednarski, argued that Lemon has no history of violence and does not pose a risk of flight. She asked that he be allowed to take a vacation in France this summer, but otherwise agreed to restrictions on his international travel.
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“He is committed to fighting this,” she said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attended the brief hearing. Lemon was ordered to make his next appearance in court in Minneapolis on Feb. 9.
The former CNN anchor, who is now an independent journalist, was taken into custody by two federal agents in Los Angeles on Thursday night. According to his attorney Abbe Lowell, Lemon was in L.A. to cover the Grammy Awards on Sunday. His arrest comes after the Trump administration’s Justice Department sought to charge him with a civil-rights violation in connection with his attendance at a Jan. 18 anti-ICE protest inside a church in St. Paul, Minn.
Lemon livestreamed coverage of the Minnesota protest and has said he was simply reporting on it. Georgia Fort, another independent journalist who covered the protest, has also been arrested.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lemon’s lawyer said in a statement. “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.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Lemon was arrested in addition to three other individuals over the Minnesota protest. “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,” Bondi wrote in an X post Friday morning, adding: “More details soon.” The White House also mocked Lemon’s arrest on X, writing: “When life gives you lemon…” alongside a graphic announcing news of his arrest.
Lemon’s former employer CNN spoke out against his arrest, writing: “The FBl’s arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment. The Department of Justice already failed twice to get an arrest warrant for Don and several other journalists in Minnesota, where a chief judge of the Minnesota Federal District Court found there was ‘no evidence’ that there was any criminal behavior involved in their work. 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.”
In 2023, Lemon was fired from CNN after allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women at the network. He then had a brief deal with Elon Musk to produce independent content for X, which fell apart within months, before starting his own program, “The Don Lemon Show.”
From Variety US