Don Lemon arrested over involvement at Minnesota church protest

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Don Lemon arrested in connection to anti-ICE church protest

Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin provides details on the arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon in connection to his involvement in the anti-ICE protest that interrupted a church service in Minnesota.

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Former CNN host Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal authorities on Friday over his involvement in the viral protest by anti-ICE agitators at a Minnesota church.

Earlier this month, Lemon livestreamed left-wing agitators who stormed St. Paul's Cities Church under the suspicion that its pastor had collaborated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Lemon told viewers that "the freedom to protest" is what the First Amendment is all about, but Justice Department officials have been working to hold the participants accountable. 

Attorney General Pamela Bondi wrote on X, "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."

"Don Lemon is being charged with 18 USC 241, Conspiracy to Deprive Rights, and 18 USC 248, Violation of the FACE Act, interfering by force of someone’s First Amendment rights," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

Lemon, who is expected to make his first court appearance Friday, was apprehended in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards, according to his attorney, Abbe Lowell. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DOJ THREATS AGAINST DON LEMON AFTER HE FOLLOWED ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS IN ST. PAUL CHURCH

The DOJ leveled legal threats against ex-CNN host Don Lemon for his role in the anti-ICE unrest that unfolded Sunday at St. Paul's Cities Church. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)

"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."

A federal magistrate judge previously rejected the Justice Department’s initial attempt to bring charges against Lemon.

Far-left agitator Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was one of the organizers of the church protest, was among the people arrested in connection with the incident. She appeared in Lemon's footage. 

"Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," Bondi wrote on X. 

DON LEMON REMAINS DEFIANT, DARES TRUMP DOJ TO ‘MAKE ME INTO THE NEW JIMMY KIMMEL’ AS POTENTIAL CHARGES LOOM

Don Lemon remained defiant after a federal magistrate judge on Thursday rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to bring charges against. (The Don Lemon Show/screengrab)

Lemon, however, remained defiant, daring the DOJ to make him "into the new Jimmy Kimmel."

"I stand proud, and I stand tall," Lemon said on his YouTube show last week. "This is not a victory lap for me, because it's not over. They're going to try again, and they're going to try again. And guess what? Here I am. Keep trying."

"That's not going to stop me from being a journalist. You're not going to diminish my voice. Go ahead. Make me into the new Jimmy Kimmel if you want," Lemon told the DOJ. "Just do it! Because I'm not going anywhere."

Lemon has insisted he has "no affiliation to that organization" and "didn't even know they were going to this church until we followed them there," although video he posted on YouTube suggested he was at least somewhat aware of the agitators’ plan.

"We don’t know what’s happening. We kind of do, but we don’t know how it’s going to play out … we’ll get to see what happens after this, sort of surprise," Lemon told viewers from a car while driving to the church.

"We just found out about this this morning," Lemon continued. "I’m just trying to figure out if it's best for me to go inside so I can tell what happened."

MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES

Don Lemon told Fox News Digital that he stands by his reporting. (Don Lemon/YouTube)

Once Lemon arrived at the church, he told his crew he planned to "go inside and give the rundown on what’s going on," but instructed his driver and cameraman not to go on the church’s property.  

"I’m just gonna walk in, see what’s happening," Lemon said as he entered the church.

Lemon appeared to enter before the agitators, as the pastor could be heard on Lemon’s audio feed before the service was interrupted by shouting. Lemon then told viewers that protesters had entered the church as complete chaos was heard. Lemon’s cameraman then entered the building to livestream the ordeal.

"I’m a journalist," Lemon told a churchgoer amid the chaos.

Lemon went on to document the hostile invasion of the church, which he called a "clandestine mission."

"You have to be willing to go into places and disrupt and make people uncomfortable. That’s what this country is about," Lemon said.

Agitators disrupted the religious service and "intimidated, harassed, oppressed, and terrorized the parishioners, including young children, and caused the service to be cut short," according to a federal affidavit. 

Churchgoers told law enforcement that members of their parish attempted to retrieve their children from a childcare area located downstairs, but the agitators were blocking the stairs, and the parents were unable to get to their children. One churchgoer later expressed fear that the agitators may have guns underneath their jackets and noted that aisles were blocked, making it difficult to leave. 

DON LEMON RESPONDS TO TRUMP DOJ'S THREAT, STANDS BY COVERAGE OF ANTI-ICE PROTEST AT MINNESOTA CHURCH

Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, previously suggested Lemon could face significant consequences for allegedly partaking in the storming of the church.

Dhillon said Lemon had a presumption of innocence, but his role as a journalist wasn't necessarily a "shield" for him being a potential party to a crime.

"Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility. He went into the facility, and then he began ‘committing journalism,’ as if that’s sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part of a criminal conspiracy," Dhillon said in an interview with Benny Johnson.

"It isn’t and so we’re getting our ducks in a row, putting the facts together, and this is a very serious matter," she continued. "Come next Sunday, nobody should think in the United States that they’re going to be able to get away with this. Everyone in the protest community needs to know that the fullest force of the federal government is going to come down and prevent this from happening and put people away for a long, long time." 

Anti-ICE protesters targeted the Cities Church in Minneapolis on Sunday, shouting down churchgoers in the middle of services. (Facebook/DawokeFarmer2)

Lemon previously told Fox News Digital that he stands by his reporting and has faced online threats as a result. 

"It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist — especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling. What’s even more telling is the barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs, directed at me online by MAGA supporters and amplified by parts of the right-wing press," Lemon said in a statement.

"If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it 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 continued. "I stand by my reporting."

The White House posted about the situation on Friday. 

The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) blasted the arrest.

"Two federal courts flatly rejected prosecuting Lemon because the evidence for these vindictive and unconstitutional charges was insufficient, and Lemon has every right to document news and inform the public. Instead of accepting that humiliating defeat, the government has now doubled down," FPF Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said. 

"The unmistakable message is that journalists must tread cautiously because the government is looking for any way to target them," he continued. "The answer to this outrageous attack is not fear or self-censorship. It’s an even stronger commitment to journalism, the truth, and the First Amendment."

Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her reacted on Facebook, calling the arrest "deeply chilling."

"The arrest today of journalists for covering a protest is deeply chilling," Her wrote in the post. "We need to all be hyper vigilant and call out the way this administration has eroded our First Amendment and other Constitutional rights—because if we let this go unanswered, it won’t stop here."

CNN also defended Lemon, who was terminated by the network in 2023. 

Georgia Fort, an independent journalist based in Minnesota, was also arrested in connection with the Cities Church protest. DOJ officials previously suggested the former CNN star and the other anti-ICE agitators had violated the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act, among other crimes. 

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The FACE Act makes it a federal crime, with potentially steep fines and jail time, to use or threaten to use force to "injure, intimidate, or interfere" with a person seeking reproductive health services, or with a person lawfully trying to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship. It also prohibits intentional property damage to a facility providing reproductive health services or a place of religious worship. The Ku Klux Klan Act makes it a federal crime for individuals to deny citizens their civil rights.

Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report. 

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