Gambiaj.com – (LOS ANGELES, United States) – Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday night in Los Angeles by federal authorities, his attorney confirmed, in a case that has reignited debate over press freedom under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Lemon, now an independent journalist and outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and his allies, was taken into custody while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, according to his legal team.
The arrest follows heightened scrutiny from the administration over Lemon’s recent reporting on protests against immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,” his attorney said in a statement.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”
The case stems from an incident earlier this month in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where Lemon was present at a protest inside a church. Demonstrators had entered the church believing that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was serving as its pastor, according to reporting by The New York Times.
Federal authorities have cited a law that protects houses of worship from protest activity in seeking to charge eight people in connection with the incident, including Lemon.
Lemon has maintained that he was not participating in the protest but was present solely in his capacity as a journalist covering the event.
A judge last week rejected federal charges against him, and as of Friday morning, prosecutors had not unsealed an indictment against the former cable news host.
Despite that ruling, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Friday that Lemon was arrested alongside several others in what she described as a “coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was expected to hold a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice later Friday to address the arrest.
Lemon’s attorney sharply criticized the administration’s actions, accusing the Justice Department of targeting the press.
“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,” the attorney said, adding that the arrest represented an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”
Like many journalists, Lemon traveled to Minnesota to cover civil unrest that followed the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by federal authorities amid the administration’s immigration crackdown.
Lemon spent years as a prime-time host at CNN, where his commentary often drew criticism from conservatives. He left the network in 2023 and later launched The Don Lemon Show on YouTube and Substack.
During President Donald Trump’s second term, the administration has faced sustained criticism from Democrats and press freedom advocates over restrictions on journalists’ access to the Pentagon and parts of the White House, as well as threats by the president to use the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on news organizations critical of his leadership.
Lemon’s legal team said he intends to challenge the arrest vigorously in court, framing the case as a test of constitutional protections for journalists covering politically sensitive events.
