Journalist Don Lemon was arrested Thursday night in Los Angeles, where he was covering this weekend's Grammy Awards. Federal agents arrested Lemon and three others in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi. The arrest relates to a protest Lemon covered at the church on Jan. 18.
Lemon faces charges of conspiracy to deprive others of their civil rights and violation of the FACE Act by allegedly interfering by force with the exercise of others' First Amendment rights. However, it is unclear what exact charges Lemon is facing in the Jan. 18 protest. A federal appellate court had declined to order arrest warrants for five people, including Lemon, last week, though one judge said he felt there was probable cause to justify the arrests.
Lemon's attorney stated he has been a journalist for 30 years and his work in Minneapolis was constitutionally protected, noting the First Amendment exists to protect journalists who hold those in power accountable. Lemon has said he has no affiliation to the organization that went into the church and that he was there as a journalist chronicling protesters. His attorney said Lemon will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court. Lemon worked at CNN for more than 15 years but was fired in 2023 and later launched The Don Lemon Show on X before that partnership ended.