After Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles on Thursday night for covering an anti-ICE protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, nearly two weeks ago, his former employer CNN condemned the FBI’s actions as a violation of the First Amendment.
“The FBI’s arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment,” CNN said in a Friday statement. “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,” the outlet continued. “We will be following this case closely.”
Lemon’s charges have not been publicly stated, though TheWrap has learned he is facing charges based on two federal statutes — one that protects against those trying to impede someone from practicing their constitutional rights and another that prevents a person from interfering with someone’s First Amendment right of religious freedom.
The journalist’s attorney confirmed his arrest in an early Friday morning statement. Lemon was in L.A. to cover the Grammy Awards and remains in federal custody.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” attorney Abbe Lowell 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.”
“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,” he added. “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.”
The update comes after Lemon, his producer and other journalists reported on a Jan. 18 protest at a St. Paul church, where protesters believed one of the pastors was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. Lemon has defended his actions as “an act of journalism,” while the DOJ’s initial arrest warrant attempts were rejected by multiple judges.
