Don Lemon is at the center of a rapidly developing legal storm after the former CNN anchor was taken into federal custody Thursday night (January 29) in Los Angeles.
Full story below…
The longtime journalist was in the city covering GRAMMY Awards weekend when federal agents moved in, according to sources. While details remain limited, the situation has raised immediate concerns among media and civil liberties advocates.
According to CBS News, federal authorities, including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, were involved in the arrest. It is not yet clear what charges Lemon may face, though a grand jury was reportedly empaneled earlier the same day.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed his client was taken into custody and strongly criticized the Justice Department’s actions. Citing First Amendment protections, he said:
“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 arrest appears connected to a federal case stemming from an anti-ICE protest earlier this month inside a church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Demonstrators allegedly entered the church after learning an ICE official was among its pastors. While multiple people were charged, a federal appellate court last week declined to compel arrest warrants for Lemon and others, despite one judge finding probable cause.
Lowell accused the Trump administration of prioritizing Lemon’s arrest over investigating federal agents involved in recent fatal shootings in Minnesota, calling the move “an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”
The arrest has already ignited fierce debate online, with ICE, MAGA circles, and the Trump administration all being pulled into the narrative.
UPDATE:
Lemon’s legal reps have issued a full statement:
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I’m not surprised! CNN fake news! He deserved it! Ling Ling only trusts Fox News at this point! Anyone who stops ICE doing their jobs needs to be arrested!
“Now don’t you feel real stupid? Yeah, that’s egg on yo’ face” 😂
Now playing…
#Cumonacone
Don d*** sucking lemon.
Good now deport him