Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested in connection with a church protest, his lawyer and a Justice Department official familiar with the situation said Friday.
Lemon livestreamed a demonstration this month that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, in protest of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region.
Lemon is accused of conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating the ‘Face’ Act by allegedly obstructing access to a place of prayer, according to a Justice Department official. FBI and Homeland Security Investigation agents arrested him in Los Angeles, the source said.
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Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the arrest an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”
Lemon said he was at the demonstration as a journalist. He stated that he was warned in advance, but did not know that the activists would interrupt the religious ceremony. He can be seen arguing with a parishioner over the enforcement of immigration law.
Trump administration officials quickly condemned the rally and accused protesters of intimidating Christian worshipers.
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Federal agents arrested three other people and charged them with violating the Face Act, a 1994 law that prevents obstruction of abortion clinics and places of worship, but a U.S. judge had previously refused to approve Lemon’s arrest, citing a lack of evidence.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lemon spent 17 years at CNN, becoming one of its most recognized personalities.
CNN fired himin 2023 after he made live comments about women and then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley that were widely considered sexist. Lemon later apologized.
