Don Lemon, the independent journalist who gained national prominence during his time at CNN, was taken into federal custody Thursday night in Los Angeles, according to a prepared statement from his attorney, Abbe Lowell.
The statement was posted to Lemon’s official Instagram account. Lemon had been in L.A. to cover the Grammy Awards, which will be Sunday night, according to Lowell. Georgia Fort, another independent journalist, also was taken into custody, on Friday morning.
The arrests represent an escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to silence its perceived critics and is expected to alarm First Amendment experts, who have said that the work of the press reflects and is important to the relationship between the people who govern and the people who are governed.
“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,” Lowell said.
The U.S. Department of Justice had announced several days ago that it wanted to charge Lemon and others in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church in the wake of the death of Renee Good, who was shot dead by an ICE agent.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the recent arrests in a post on X: “At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. More details soon.”
Earlier in January, a federal magistrate judge denied the Justice Department’s attempt to arrest Lemon, a decision that reportedly “enraged” Bondi.
Lemon and Fort livestreamed coverage of the Minnesota church event and said they were at the event as journalists, not participants. Fort also livestreamed her arrest on Facebook Live.
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work,” Lowell said.
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