Don Lemon arrested after protest at Minnesota church

CNN journalist and broadcaster Don Lemon was arrested Thursday in Los Angeles by federal agents in connection with a mid-January protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Lemon maintains he was there as a journalist, documenting the break-in by anti-ICE protesters at a church service where one of the pastors was allegedly an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.

The media personality's arrest comes after a magistrate judge last week rejected the Department of Justice's (DOJ) initial attempt to bring a case against him, finding that there was insufficient evidence that he had violated any laws.

Following the arrest, however, Attorney General Pam Bondi reported Friday via a statement on X that she had ordered Lemon, among others, to be arrested "in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota."

Journalist to contest charges

Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy Awards. He is expected to make his first court appearance there.

In a statement reported by Entertainment Weekly (EW) and released by his attorney, Abbe Lowell, Lemon stated that he intended to contest the charges filed against him.

"Don Lemon was arrested last night by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy Awards. Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his work in Minneapolis, protected by the Constitution, was no different than what he has always done," the statement read.