Don Lemon poses while attending the Michael Kors show during the New York Fashion Week in New York City, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
(Los Angeles, CA) – Don Lemon, the left-leaning content creator who used to work for CNN, has been arrested. He was handcuffed last night by federal agents in LA, as he arrived to cover the Grammy Awards. Lemon is likely in trouble as a result of his rabble rousing and involvement in “protests” in Minneapolis that targeted a church service.
It was on Sunday, January 19 when Lemon joined a group who stormed Sunday services — at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Frightened parishioners looked on in stunned fashion as the group chanted “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good” — in relation to the woman shot dead during an interaction with federal agents. Lemon later claimed he was acting as a journalist, intimating he had no prior knowledge of the group’s plans, although video emerged of him hugging and kissing the cheek of an organizer beforehand.
Lemon, who lost a job with Elon Musk’s X platform before that show even got going, has a well-documented track record of supporting leftist propaganda. He operates as an opinion-based journalist, but taking part in an action that disrupted church services goes to a different level. Reaction was swift in response to his involvement, with many calling for his arrest. Rapper Nicki Minaj, who has emerged as a major MAGA advocate, was among those demanding he face consequences. Some suggested the KKK Act could be used to prosecute Lemon, given it provides protection to church services.
The group Lemon was with that day claimed the church’s pastor was somehow connected to ICE. The event took place after the death of Good but prior to the shooting of Alex Pretti, during a separate incident.
Listen 🎧 to more content about Lemon’s church stunt from 77 WABC:
Lemon left CNN in 2023. He has said he was tipped off about the “protest” and decided to cover it. His producer and camera person were with him. Lemon has framed his actions as protected journalism rather than active participation in the disruption. But the Trump administration’s Justice Department has pursued legal action against people involved. They argue the group conspired to deny others their civil rights. There’s also the FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) which aims to protects places of worship from obstruction or interference with religious activities.
In Minnesota, a federal magistrate judge by the name of Doug Micko initially reviewed evidence and approved warrants for only three protesters. Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly were all arrested. Micko rejected arrest warrants for Lemon and four others due to what he determined was “insufficient probable cause” — viewing Lemon’s role as journalistic rather than criminal.
The DOJ appealed to a district judge and then the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which declined to force issuance of warrants for Lemon — on or around January 24. Prosecutors later pursued charges via a grand jury, empaneled this week, leading to Lemon’s arrest in California.
Lemon was reportedly taken into custody by federal agents from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — in Los Angeles. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests of Lemon as well as three others: Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell. Reports identify Fort as a journalist. AG Bondi described the arrests as in connection with a “coordinated attack” on the church. Lemon spent Thursday night in custody and was expected to make a court appearance the following day.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the arrest an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” and a distraction from alleged federal wrongdoing (e.g., the protester deaths). He stated Lemon would fight the charges vigorously in court, emphasizing his client’s 30-year journalism career and protected reporting activities. Lemon himself has defended his presence as journalism: “Once the protest started… we did an act of journalism, which was report on it.” Reactions include outrage from former colleagues — CNN’s resident leftist Jim Acosta called it “outrageous”. Some press freedom advocates (such as the Freedom of the Press Foundation) labeled it an attack on journalism. Various Democratic members of Congress have also expressed their outrage.
