Former CNN host Don Lemon is attempting to cast himself as a victim of political persecution after his arrest in connection with an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota, an incident federal prosecutors allege involved coordination with activists who interfered with worship and deprived congregants of their civil rights.
Lemon discussed the arrest during a Monday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” portraying the late-night takedown as intimidation by the Trump administration and insisting he was merely “covering the news.”
According to Lemon, his attorney, Abbe Lowell, had contacted the Department of Justice weeks earlier to discuss a voluntary surrender, but said the DOJ “never heard back.”
Lemon claimed that instead, federal agents arrested him Thursday night after he returned to his Los Angeles hotel following pre-Grammy events.
“I press the elevator button and then, all of a sudden, I feel myself being jostled and people trying to grab me and put me in handcuffs,” Lemon said.
“And I said, ‘What are you doing here?’
“They said, ‘We came to arrest you.’ I said, ‘Who are you?’
“And then they, like, finally identify themselves.”
Lemon alleged the agents initially did not show him a warrant and said they waited for an FBI agent to arrive with a copy displayed on a cellphone.
“It had to be maybe a dozen people, which is a waste, Jimmy, of resources,” Lemon said.
“Because I had told them weeks before, maybe once or twice… that I could just go in, and they didn’t have to be — the folks that were just working there that day, and they didn’t have to have all of these people following me around.”
Kimmel responded, “It’s more than just a waste of resources.”
“You’re right about more than just a waste of resources,” Lemon replied.
“They want that. They want to embarrass you.
“They want to intimidate you.
“They want to instill fear, and so that’s why they did it that way.”
WATCH:
DOJ: Lemon Coordinated Protest That Disrupted Church Service
Lemon was arrested on Friday and charged with conspiracy to deprive rights and violation of the FACE Act, stemming from a protest that interrupted Sunday worship services at St. Paul’s Cities Church in Minnesota.
While Lemon has repeatedly insisted he was present only as a journalist, the Justice Department alleges he coordinated with protest organizers ahead of the disruption, undermining his claim that he was merely an observer.
The protest involved left-wing activists storming a church service, interfering with worshippers, and confronting congregants during religious services, conduct that implicates First Amendment protections for religious freedom, not press rights.
Outside the courthouse on Friday, Lemon continued to frame himself as a journalist being targeted for his work.
“I’ve spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” Lemon said.
“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 accountable.
“And I will not stop now. I will not stop ever.
“Last night, the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for something that I’ve been doing for the last 30 years.
“And that is covering the news.
“The First Amendment of the Constitution protects that work for me and for 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.”
Not Lemon’s First Clash With Accountability
A federal magistrate judge initially rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to bring charges, but prosecutors later secured an indictment from a Minnesota grand jury.
Prior to his arrest, Lemon publicly dared the Trump administration to make him “into the new Jimmy Kimmel,” attempting to recast himself as a political martyr.
Like Kimmel, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, Lemon has become a media figurehead for the Left, portraying enforcement of immigration law and prosecution of alleged crimes as political retaliation rather than the application of neutral law.
Lemon’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 9 in Minneapolis, where the case will test whether his conduct qualifies as protected “journalism” or unlawful coordination in an effort to disrupt religious worship and obstruct federal law enforcement.
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