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By Anna Commander and Peter Aitken
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Independent journalist Don Lemon, formerly of CNN, issued a statement on Bluesky and spoke briefly with reporters following his release on Friday afternoon.
Federal agents arrested him in Los Angeles late Thursday night in connection with his reporting on protests at a Minnesota church. The longtime CNN employee was apprehended while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, his lawyer Abbe Lowell said.
Newsweek reached out to Lowell's office via email on Friday night.
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Why It Matters
The arrest unfolds amid intensifying nationwide protests over immigration enforcement and separate federal civil rights scrutiny of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, heightening political and legal tensions around the government’s response.
What To Know
Speaking with reporters outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, Lemon vowed to fight the charges leveled against him, saying, "I look forward to my day in court," The New York Times reported.
“I have spent my entire career covering the news,” Lemon said. “I will not stop now. There is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.”
In a longer statement posted on Bluesky, Lemon added: "I want to thank everyone for their support - it means the world to me."
"Last night, the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for doing what I have been doing for 30 years," he later wrote, in part. "The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects that work for me and countless other journalists who do what I do. I stand with all of them, and I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court."
A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota previously denied arrest warrants for Lemon and others, but a federal grand jury later indicted individuals, including Lemon and journalist Georgia Fort, alleging conspiracy to deprive congregants of their rights and interference with religious freedom at a house of worship, the Times reports.
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What People Are Saying
Conservative attorney Mike Davis, on X Friday: "These charges against Don Lemon carry weight. His threats and force make this FACE Act violation a felony. He walked to the pulpit and stopped the service, admitting he targeting [sic] the church for being white and Christian. This is a slam dunk under the FACE Act. He should go to prison. He doubled down and signaled others to copy him. We need deterrence. We need punishment for Don Lemon and his co-conspirators. Thanks for having me, @bennyjohnson."
CNN Communications, on X Friday: "The FBI's arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment. The Department of Justice already failed twice to get an arrest warrant for Don and several other journalists in Minnesota, where a chief judge of the Minnesota Federal District Court found there was "no evidence" that there was any criminal behavior involved in their work. The First Amendment in the United States protects journalists who bear witness to news and events as they unfold, ensuring they can report freely in the public interest, and the DOJ's attempts to violate those rights is unacceptable. We will be following this case closely."
Attorney General Pam Bondi, on X Friday: "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."
What Happens Next
Lemon’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 9. His counsel said he plans to plead not guilty, NBC News reports.
Update 1/30/26, 9:03 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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