INSIDE THIS REPORT
- Federal authorities arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon after prosecutors concluded his conduct inside a Minnesota church crossed from reporting into criminal interference.
- Lemon publicly claimed he was “doing journalism,” a statement prosecutors may use to establish intent and nexus to the charged conduct.
- Lemon is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles, where he is expected to challenge the charges on First Amendment grounds.
[USA HERALD] – Federal agents arrested Don Lemon late Thursday on allegations that he violated federal law during a January protest inside a St. Paul church, according to statements from his legal counsel and federal authorities. The incident stems from Lemon’s presence inside Cities Church on January 18, where demonstrators disrupted an active religious service by chanting “ICE out.”
The church’s pastor is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, a fact prosecutors say places the incident squarely within federal jurisdiction. Authorities allege that Lemon entered the church alongside demonstrators, shared their purpose, and acted in coordination with them during the interruption of worship.
Although the underlying case was dismissed last week by a magistrate judge on procedural grounds, federal prosecutors subsequently sought Lemon’s arrest, citing renewed charging theories tied to civil rights and religious-freedom statutes.
Lemon has insisted he was present solely in a journalistic capacity. That claim, however, may now be the prosecution’s strongest piece of evidence.
