Name: Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon Charged With Federal Crimes Over Minnesota Church Protest
Uploaded: 2026-02-01T01:01:26.000Z
Description: A grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon and others on charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers.

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Former CNN news anchor Don Lemon was released from custody on Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges for his alleged involvement in a protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church earlier this month.

Lemon was taken into custody overnight in Los Angeles where he had been covering the Grammy Awards. Three others were arrested in Minnesota.

"At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota," Bondi wrote on X on Friday morning.

Lemon livestreamed the protest against President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration inside the Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18. A group that had organized the protest reportedly believed that the pastor was working as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

A grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon and others on charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers.

In court in Los Angeles, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Robbins argued for a $100,000 bond, telling a judge that Lemon “knowingly joined a mob that stormed into a church.” He was released, however, without having to post money and was granted permission to travel to France in June while the case is pending.

Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Lemon plans to plead not guilty and fight the charges in Minnesota.

Lemon struck a defiant tone while speaking to reporters after a court appearance in California on Friday, declaring: “I will not be silenced.”

“I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” Lemon said. “In fact 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 in power accountable.”

Lemon previously said he went to the church to cover the protest after receiving a tip about it, but was unaware that protesters would disrupt an ongoing service.

The Trump administration has accused demonstrators of intimidating worshippers as they openly practiced their Christian faith, calling it a violation of their constitutional right and an attack on a place of worship.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a civil rights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month.

CNN in a <a href="https://x.com/CNNPR/status/2017257849592721642">statement</a> said that Lemon’s arrest raises “profound” questions about the freedom of the press, saying the First Amendment protects journalists to ensure they can freely report the news.

Bondi issued a warning after Lemon's arrest.

“Make no mistake. Under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely,” Bondi said in a video posted online. “And if I haven’t been clear already, if you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.”

<em>Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. </em>

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