Don Lemon Arrested

[Caveira]

Ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested on charges connected to Minnesota church protest

Lemon’s lawyer said he was taken into custody after attending protest in which demonstrators disrupted a church service earlier in January

 

Sam Levine, Jeremy Barr and Anna Betts in New York

Fri 30 Jan 2026 09.32 EST

 

Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, was arrested late on Thursday on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in Minnesota earlier this month, according to his lawyer.

Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Lemon, said that Lemon was “taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards”.

 

 

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” 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.

“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,” Lowell 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 US attorney general, Pam Bondi, confirmed Lemon’s arrest in a post on X on Friday morning, promising “more details soon”.

Georgia Fort, an independent journalist, was also arrested, according to Bondi. Fort posted a video on Facebook claiming federal agents were at her door. “As a member of the press, I filmed the church protest a few weeks ago, and now I’m being arrested for that,” she told her followers. “It’s hard to understand how we have constitutional rights when you can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”

 

It is understood that Lemon remains in custody as of Friday. The Guardian has contacted the Department of Justice for comment, and it is not clear yet what charges Lemon is facing.

Lemon is expected to make a court appearance on Friday, CNN reported.

His arrest sparked outrage from former colleagues, first amendment advocates and members of Congress.

“This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!” Lemon’s former CNN colleague Jim Acosta wrote in a post on X.

Seth Stern, director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, called Lemon’s arrest “a naked attack on freedom of the press”.

“Lemon’s arrest under a bogus legal theory is a clear warning shot aimed at other journalists,” he said in a statement to the Guardian. “The unmistakable message is that journalists must tread cautiously because the government is looking for any way to target them.”

“There is zero basis to arrest him and he should be freed immediately,” the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, wrote in a post on X.

 

US Senator Cory Booker said that “arresting a journalist is a blatant attempt to intimidate and a further indicator of Trump’s authoritarianism. It goes against the most fundamental American values outlined in the First Amendment.”

The arrest comes as last week a federal magistrate judge took the unusual step of declining to sign off on an arrest warrant for Lemon, a decision that reportedly enragedBondi.

“We’re going to pursue this to the ends of the Earth,” Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department’s civil rights division, said during an interview with Megyn Kelly on Friday.

In a video posted on his online show’s YouTube channel, Lemon attended a protest in which demonstrators disrupted a church service on 18 January. In an interview with Lemon, a demonstrator described the action as a clandestine operation in which they disrupt “business as usual” at a surprise location. Three demonstrators have already been arrested in connection with the protest on charges of conspiring to interfere with the civil rights of others.

[JimmySpeaks]

Publicity stunt.  Card is being played to try become relevant again. 

[Scouts Honor]

 

[mspart]

You will notice that the first three perps were arrested fairly quickly.   It took longer to nab Don Lemon, which tells me that the feds were looking and finally found enough evidence that he was there, that he was part of the incitement, and supported the perps that took over that church.   He doesn't get a pass because he is a "journalist".  He is not a journalist and this is how I know.   WA state continues to deny Jonathan Cho access because they say he is not a journalist.   He is just like the Lemonator.   So there is that.   That is what WA says, King County says, and Seattle says.   If Cho isn't a journalist then neither is Sir Don.   

That said, being a journalist would protect you if all you are doing is covering an event.   How did Mr Lemonhead find out that the church would be attacked?  How is it that he was privy to this info and the local news channels were not?   I can see the gear turning in your head right now.  And I have heard (so this is hearsay) that he was rah rah'ing the perps and encouraging their attack on the church.   That goes from being a journalist to an instigator.   And my guess is that this is what he is being charged with.   And I don't think they would have waited this long to arrest him unless they had some pretty solid evidence to back that up.   Just my $0.02. 

He's going to fight this on a 1st amendment basis and will lose because this is not a 1st amendment case for the press.  You can get arrested for yelling fire in a crowded theater.   You can get arrested as a journalist for doing so and reporting on the mayhem.   That is essentially where the lemonator is right now.  

mspart

[Offthemat]

40 minutes ago, mspart said:

You will notice that the first three perps were arrested fairly quickly.   It took longer to nab Don Lemon, which tells me that the feds were looking and finally found enough evidence that he was there, that he was part of the incitement, and supported the perps that took over that church.   He doesn't get a pass because he is a "journalist".  He is not a journalist and this is how I know.   WA state continues to deny Jonathan Cho access because they say he is not a journalist.   He is just like the Lemonator.   So there is that.   That is what WA says, King County says, and Seattle says.   If Cho isn't a journalist then neither is Sir Don.   

That said, being a journalist would protect you if all you are doing is covering an event.   How did Mr Lemonhead find out that the church would be attacked?  How is it that he was privy to this info and the local news channels were not?   I can see the gear turning in your head right now.  And I have heard (so this is hearsay) that he was rah rah'ing the perps and encouraging their attack on the church.   That goes from being a journalist to an instigator.   And my guess is that this is what he is being charged with.   And I don't think they would have waited this long to arrest him unless they had some pretty solid evidence to back that up.   Just my $0.02. 

He's going to fight this on a 1st amendment basis and will lose because this is not a 1st amendment case for the press.  You can get arrested for yelling fire in a crowded theater.   You can get arrested as a journalist for doing so and reporting on the mayhem.   That is essentially where the lemonator is right now.  

mspart

The gov’t didn’t hesitate, the warrant for Lemon was requested at the same time as the three others.  The judge refused to authorize it, requiring the DoJ to go the grand jury route.   And their is no law against yelling fire in a theater. 

[mspart]

50 minutes ago, Offthemat said:

The gov’t didn’t hesitate, the warrant for Lemon was requested at the same time as the three others.  The judge refused to authorize it, requiring the DoJ to go the grand jury route.   And their is no law against yelling fire in a theater. 

AI Overview

 

While there is no specific "no yelling fire" statute, falsely shouting "fire" in a crowded theater is not protected speech and can lead to legal consequences like disorderly conduct or criminal charges if it creates panic or causes harm.  The phrase originates from a 1919 Supreme Court case used to describe limits on speech that cause "clear and present danger," though it is frequently misunderstood as a direct prohibition.

OK, so no law.   I'll grant you.   But if someone gets hurt you are liable if you yelled fire in a theater.  

mspart

[Offthemat]

OK, so no law.   I'll grant you.   But if someone gets hurt you are liable if you yelled fire in a theater.  

@mspart

 

 

 

Or if there’s really a fire. 

Edited January 30 by Offthemat

[Caveira]

Torturing autistic kids on Facebook live is definitely not evil.   Probably right?
 

 

 

[El Luchador]

Wow

[mspart]

Pleads not guilty.   So the case is on going. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/don-lemon-pleads-not-guilty-to-civil-rights-charges-in-anti-ice-minnesota-church-protest

mspart