Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor who is now an independent journalist, was taken into custody in Los Angeles by federal agents Thursday night, according to his lawyer.
Lemon was in L.A. covering the 2026 Grammy Awards, according to his attorney Abbe Lowell. His arrest comes after the Trump administration’s Justice Department sought to charge Lemon with a civil-rights violation in connection with his attendance at a Jan. 18 anti-ICE protest inside a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Lemon, who livestreamed coverage of the protest, has said he was simply reporting on the event as a journalist. Federal agents also have arrested independent journalist Georgia Fort, who had covered the Minnesota church protest.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell 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.”
Lowell continued, “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. This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Lemon was arrested, as well three other individuals, in association with 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 a post on X Friday morning, adding, “More details soon.”
The Justice Department had previously sought to charge Lemon with civil-rights violations, alleging that he had illegally interfered with the churchgoers’ constitutionally protected freedom to practice religion. The DOJ has accused the Minnesota protestors of “storming” the church, and the department claimed that “Religious liberty is under attack.”
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The protestors had entered St. Paul’s Cities Church, with some calling for the resignation of pastor David Easterwood on the belief that he is the acting director of ICE’s local field office, according to the New York Times.
In a video Lemon posted online about the Minnesota incident, “Once the protest started in the church we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization. That’s it. That’s called journalism.”
In a statement Friday, CNN said: “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.”
National Press Club president Mark Schoeff Jr. said the organization “is deeply alarmed” by Lemon’s arrest. “Jailing a journalist for doing their job is dangerous — not only for press freedom, but for the public’s right to know,” Schoeff said in a statement released Friday. “When reporters risk arrest for documenting events of public interest, the result is fewer witnesses, less accountability, and a more uninformed public.”
The Trump White House’s official X account posted a photo of Lemon with the text “Don Lemon Arrested for Involvement in the St. Paul Church Riots,” with a caption reading: “When life gives you lemons…” followed by the emoji for chains.
Among those calling for Lemon’s release from custody was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “Journalism is not a crime,” she wrote on X. “The Justice Department should investigate the federal agents who killed U.S. citizens in broad daylight, not arrest reporters like Don Lemon… It’s a spine-chilling assault on press freedom and threatens the public’s right to know.”
Lemon was fired from CNN in 2023 after 17 years at the network. He had faced allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women at the network, Variety reported previously. After his dismissal from CNN, Lemon inked a deal with Elon Musk to produce content exclusively for X (formerly Twitter) — but within months the relationship fell apart in a legal dispute and Lemon ended up leaving X.
Lemon now produces “The Don Lemon Show” independently and distributes the program on platforms including YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, Apple Podcasts, Instagram, Bluesky and Substack. His recent New Year’s Eve livestreamed special generated more than 30 million views across platforms.
From Variety US