All articles tagged with #don lemon
The U.S. Department of Justice has added 30 defendants to an ongoing case stemming from an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church, bringing the total charged to 39. The indictment accuses the group of conspiring to interfere with religious freedom at a place of worship and engaging in oppression and threats during a January service. Don Lemon was among those previously charged and has pleaded not guilty.
The Justice Department added 30 more defendants to the civil-rights case stemming from a January anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, bringing the total charged to 39 with violations of two FACE Act provisions (a misdemeanor) and conspiracy to interfere with religious rights. No new charges were added beyond those two civil-rights provisions. Don Lemon and another journalist are among those charged, and all original defendants have pleaded not guilty. The case raises questions about applying the FACE Act to houses of worship and involves grand-jury secrecy and transcript-disclosure disputes.
A St. Paul congregant filed a federal lawsuit alleging a coordinated group of demonstrators, including Don Lemon and Nekima Levy Armstrong, disrupted a January church service at Cities Church and caused emotional distress. The suit accuses the defendants of conspiracy, aiding and abetting, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and interference with religious exercise, and notes eight named individuals also face federal charges related to rights violations. Lemon and others have plead not guilty to related charges; the case adds to ongoing protests in the Twin Cities connected to immigration enforcement and political demonstrations.
A Daily Kos piece argues that Attorney General Pam Bondi used a Fox News interview to justify the arrest of journalist Don Lemon (and Georgia Fort) over coverage of an anti-ICE protest, claiming the actions threaten the First Amendment. The article frames the arrests as part of a broader pattern under Trump to suppress dissent and press coverage, noting Lemon and Fort were released and will continue reporting while urging vigilance on free speech rights.
Don Lemon says about a dozen federal agents arrested him in a Los Angeles hotel last week over federal civil rights charges tied to his coverage of a protest at a Minnesota church. He claims he offered to surrender but authorities didn’t have a warrant, which he says was later shown on a cell phone. Lemon asserts he was reporting as a journalist, not a protester, and his attorney vows to vigorously contest the charges after a grand jury indictment naming him and others in the Minnesota incident. He was held overnight in a federal holding room, and the case centers on alleged violations of First Amendment rights during the protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul.
Don Lemon used his first major post-arrest TV interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to say he was in Los Angeles reporting as a journalist, not protesting, when he was arrested on federal charges tied to an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church; he was released without bond and plans to plead not guilty, while also criticizing corporate media and stressing the importance of a free press.
Don Lemon says a dozen agents were dispatched to arrest him, a claim tied to his appearance at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2026. The AP News piece accompanying the story notes the claim but does not provide independent verification in the excerpt and features the page’s typical newsroom scripts.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced two additional arrests—Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson—tied to a federal indictment over a Jan. 18 protest at The Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Nine defendants, including Don Lemon, are named in the indictment charging conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom and related offenses at a place of worship. Lemon had been arrested previously but released after a judge found insufficient probable cause. Bondi emphasized accountability for those involved in the protest.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the DOJ’s arrest of journalist Don Lemon over an immigration protest inside a Minneapolis church, arguing the case requires weighing freedom of religion against freedom of the press; Lemon is charged with conspiring to deprive congregants of civil rights and violating the FACE Act and has pleaded not guilty, with Blanche stressing the arrests address alleged crimes, not punishing journalists.
Jane Fonda defended Don Lemon after his arrest in Los Angeles tied to his reporting on a Minneapolis anti-ICE protest; Lemon was released on a no-cash bond, and Fonda urged Americans to speak up against autocrats, announcing the relaunch of the Committee for the First Amendment with hundreds of celebrity supporters.
A federal grand jury indicted Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and others for conspiracy and interfering with worshippers’ First Amendment rights during a Minnesota church anti-ICE protest; Lemon was arrested and later released, with a plan to plead not guilty, while Fort and two protesters were also taken into custody.
Former CNN host Don Lemon was arrested in Minnesota on civil rights charges after livestreaming anti-ICE protesters who disrupted a Cities Church service; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene defended the arrest, saying Lemon violated the FACE Act by entering a church during worship. The charges include conspiracy to deprive civil rights and interfering with religious freedom; Lemon was released without bond and faces a Feb. 9 court date.
On Real Time with Bill Maher, Marjorie Taylor Greene said she completely supports Don Lemon’s arrest, arguing he violated the FACE Act by entering a church and disrupting worship, and that his remarks comparing protesters to white supremacists amounted to activism rather than journalism. Lemon had been indicted for covering an anti-ICE protest at a Minneapolis church and was later released on bond.
Press freedom groups condemn the federal arrests of Don Lemon and a second journalist covering a Minnesota anti-ICE protest, calling it a chilling crackdown on the free press as judges had previously declined warrants and urging the immediate release.
Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers during a January anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota; prosecutors say the demonstration disrupted services and involved coordination with other participants.