LOS ANGELES - Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was taken into custody Friday in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church. Lemon was apprehended in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards, according to his attorney, Abbe Lowell.
Don Lemon taken into custody
What we know:
Attorney General Pam 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."
The arrests are in connection with a protest that took place Jan. 18 inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protest involved demonstrators entering the church during a service to oppose the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A federal magistrate judge previously rejected the Justice Department’s initial attempt to bring charges against Lemon. Despite those rulings, Lemon was taken into custody Friday. Officials did not immediately disclose what legal authority was used or what charges, if any, were being pursued.
What they're saying:
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that his client was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles while he was covering the Grammy Awards.
Lowell said Lemon, a journalist for more than 30 years, was engaged in what he described as constitutionally protected journalistic work during the Minnesota church protest. The statement argues that Lemon’s actions were no different from his previous reporting and that the First Amendment protects journalists who investigate and hold those in power accountable.
The attorney criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the case, calling the arrest an attack on press freedoms and saying authorities should instead focus on other matters related to federal actions in Minnesota. Lowell said Lemon plans to "fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court."
The Source: This article was written using information from The New York Times and CBS News.