Don Lemon, the previous NCS anchor, was arrested late on Thursday on charges that he violated federal legislation throughout a protest at a church in Minnesota earlier this month, in accordance to his lawyer.
Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Lemon, stated that Lemon was “taken into custody by federal agents last night 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,” Lowell stated. “The first amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.
“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 added. “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.”
The US legal professional basic, Pam Bondi, confirmed Lemon’s arrest in a submit on X on Friday morning, promising “more details soon”.
It is known that Lemon stays in custody as of Friday. The Guardian has contacted the Department of Justice for remark, and it isn’t clear but what charges Lemon is going through.
Lemon is anticipated to make a court docket look on Friday, NCS reported.
His arrest sparked outrage from former colleagues, first modification advocates and members of Congress.
“This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!” Lemon’s former NCS colleague Jim Acosta wrote in a submit on X.
Seth Stern, director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, known as Lemon’s arrest “a naked attack on freedom of the press”.
“Lemon’s arrest under a bogus legal theory is a clear warning shot aimed at other journalists,” he stated in a press release to the Guardian. “The unmistakable message is that journalists must tread cautiously because the government is looking for any way to target them.”
“There is zero basis to arrest him and he should be freed immediately,” the House minority chief, Hakeem Jeffries, wrote in a submit on X.
The arrest comes as final week a federal magistrate judge took the bizarre step of declining to log out on an arrest warrant for Lemon, a choice that reportedly enraged Bondi.
“We’re going to pursue this to the ends of the Earth,” Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the division’s civil rights division, said during an interview with Megyn Kelly on Friday.
In a video posted to his on-line present’s YouTube channel, Lemon attended a protest during which demonstrators disrupted a church service on 18 January. In an interview with Lemon, a demonstrator described the motion as a clandestine operation during which they disrupt “business as usual” at a shock location. Three demonstrators have already been arrested in reference to the protest on charges of conspiring to intrude with the civil rights of others.
“Our church had gathered for worship, which we do every Sunday. We asked them to leave and they have not,” Jonathan Parnell, the church’s pastor, stated in an interview with Lemon. Lemon additionally stated in the course of the interplay protesters had chosen the church as a result of there was somebody there “who was a member of ICE”.
Donald Trump has criticized Lemon, calling him a “loser, lightweight”.
“I saw him the way he walked in that church, it was terrible,” Trump stated throughout a White House press briefing. “I have such respect for that pastor. He was so calm, he was so nice. He was just accosted. What they did in that church was horrible.”
After the Justice of the Peace decide rejected charges towards Lemon, Lowell stated the division ought to drop its effort towards his shopper.
“Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” he stated.
Lemon left NCS in 2023 after a 17-year profession on the community. As the host of the community’s 10pm hour for a number of years, his star rose as a frequent critic of Trump throughout his first administration, famously branding him a racist. His exit from the community was abrupt, and got here only some months after he switched to turn out to be co-host of the community’s morning present.
After initially planning to launch a present on the X, owned by Elon Musk, Lemon ended up turning into totally impartial and now hosts an eponymous streaming program, The Don Lemon Show.