Ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested in Los Angeles after Minnesota protest coverage, his lawyer says

4 days ago 14

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Don Lemon at "The Morning Show" Season 4 Premiere held at The Museum of Modern Art on September 09, 2025 in New York, New York.

Don Lemon was arrested while covering the Grammys, his lawyer said. Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
  • Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday, his lawyer said.
  • It comes after he covered a protest at a church in St Paul, Minnesota.
  • Lemon was in Los Angeles covering the Grammys when he was arrested, his lawyer said.

Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Lemon's arrest comes after protesters interrupted a service at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He has said that he was reporting as a journalist when he entered the Cities Church on January 18. Protesters said that one of the church's pastors also worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a statement, Lemon's lawyer said he was taken into custody by federal agents 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," he added.

"Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court."

Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed Lemon's arrest 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," she wrote.

The Trump administration sought to charge eight people in relation to the Cities Church incident, citing a law protecting people in a service at a house of worship.

The New York Times reported that a magistrate judge rejected charges against five of the people, including Lemon, due to insufficient evidence.

The day after the incident, President Donald Trump shared a screenshot of an X post on his Truth Social calling for Lemon to be imprisoned.

In a Monday Truth Social post, President Donald Trump shared a link to a news article that said a federal appeals court declined to order a judge to sign arrest warrants for the five.

The Department of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment.

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