CNN Slams Don Lemon Arrest: Threat to Press Freedom

CNN condemned the federal arrest of former network anchor Don Lemon, calling it “profoundly concerning.”

The outlet warned that it raises questions about press freedom and First Amendment protections.

In a statement Friday, CNN said: “The FBI's arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment.

"The Department of Justice already failed twice to get an arrest warrant for Don and several other journalists in Minnesota, where a chief judge of the Minnesota federal district court found there was 'no evidence' that there was any criminal behavior involved in their work.”

The network said: “The First Amendment in the United States protects journalists who bear witness to news and events as they unfold, ensuring they can report freely in the public interest, and the DOJ's attempts to violate those rights is unacceptable. We will be following this case closely.”

Lemon, 59, was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said he was covering the Grammys. 

It was not immediately clear what charge or charges Lemon and three others face in connection with a Jan. 18 protest that disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrests in a social media post, describing the incident as a “coordinated attack” on the church, where an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor.

Lemon has said he was present as a journalist and not as an activist.

Lowell said Lemon “has been a journalist for 30 years” and called the arrest an assault on constitutionally protected reporting.

• Judge Rejects DOJ Bid to Charge Don Lemon Over Church Protest
• Don Lemon Vows to Keep Reporting in Minnesota