Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal authorities Thursday night in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church service earlier this month.
Lemon, 59, and three others — Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort and Jamael Lydell Lundy — were arrested "in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in apost on Xon Friday.
The ex-CNN anchor's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy Awards.
"Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case,' Lowell said. "This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand.
"Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court," Lowell added.
The arrest of one the country's most recognizable journalists is the latest development in the federal government's unprecedented immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, in which two U.S. citizens have been shot and killed.
Lemon was arrested by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Beverly Hills at approximately midnight, according to a federal warrant issued in another district.
Details of the charges against the four were not immediately available. However, the Justice Departmentpromised to pursue chargesagainst Lemon after the independent journalist covered the protest at the church in St. Paul on Jan. 18.
A federal magistrate judge hadpreviously rejected a criminal complaintagainst Lemon. A source familiar with the matter, described Bondi as "enraged" by the decision.
The arrests also follow the apprehension of three others—Nekima Levy Armstrong,Chauntyll Louisa AllenandWilliam Kelly —who disrupted the same church service in St. Paul.
Demonstrators gathered at the service because its pastor,David Easterwood, allegedly works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The protesters say Easterwood is the acting director of an ICE field office in St. Paul.
The federal government cited the FACE Act to justify the arrest of the three protesters. The federal statute prohibits the use of force or intimidation to anyone trying to access reproductive services, but also contains provisions that cover houses of worship.
But the protesters were released after a federal judge found the Trump administration offered "no factual or legal support" to justify two of the arrests.
Prior to his arrest, Lemon said he stood by his reporting.
"If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it would be far better used investigating the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good — the very issue that brought people into the streets in the first place," he said in a statement last week.
The federal government has sent 3,000 federal immigration agents to the Twin Cities over the last two months and arrested more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Amid the crackdown,Renee Good, 37, andAlex Pretti, 37, were bothshot and killedby federal immigration authorities in separate confrontations, incensing large swaths of the nation.
The operation has alsotransformed daily life in the Twin Cities, with some residents protesting daily, patrolling the region's streets for immigration agents and delivering groceries to undocumented families who are afraid to leave their homes.
After initially doubling down and referring to both Good and Pretti as "domestic terrorists," Trump administration officials said they plan on reducing the number of agents in the state.
On Thursday, the administration also swapped out Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino for Trump border czar Tom Homan, a former Obama staffer, to oversee the immigration operation in the Twin Cities, dubbed Operation Metro Surge
Homansaid at a press conferenceThursday that "no organization is perfect" and that administration officials, including the president, "have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made."
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit that promotes press freedoms worldwide, condemned Lemon's arrest.
"The arrest of journalist Don Lemon in connection with his reporting on a protest in Minnesota should alarm all Americans," Katherine Jacobsen, who works on the organization's U.S. efforts, said in a statement. "Instead of prioritizing accountability in the killings of two American citizens, the Trump administration is devoting its resources to arresting journalists."
CNN said in apost on Xthat Lemon's arrest "raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also condemned Lemon's arrest and said in a statement that she has "reached out to the U.S. Attorney to check on Don Lemon's status."
"Let me be very clear — President Trump is not deescalating anything after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents," she said. "In fact, the arrest of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort demonstrates quite the opposite — he is escalating."
In its own post on X, the White House appeared to mock Lemon.
"When life gives you lemons..." the White House account wrote, coupled with a chain emoji and image of Lemon from inside the church.
Representatives for Lemon, Lemon's husband, Cities Church and the three others arrested did not immediately return requests for comment.
