Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, was arrested on Thursday on charges that he ‘violated federal law’ during a protest at a church in Minnesota earlier this month.
Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said 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 said. “The first amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
The top Democrats in Congress, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, condemned Lemon’s arrest on Friday with this statement:
“Let’s be very clear – this arrest is not just about one journalist in one incident. The arrest is a dark message to journalists everywhere: if you dare criticize this administration, watch your back,” Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, said on the Senate floor. “That is not democracy. That is a police state and that is pure authoritarian bile. Democracy will suffer if the government chokes our civil liberties.”
CNN also condemned the arrest:
“The FBI’s arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the first amendment,” a network spokesperson said. “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 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,” the spokesperson added.
Bravo’s Andy Cohen was among the first to post about the controversial arrest.
‘They arrested Don and not the guys who murdered protesters?’ Cohen tweeted.
Billy Baldwin put it bluntly: ‘Free Don Lemon.’
Newscaster Jemele Hill called the arrest ‘horrifying’ and emphasized that it transcends political or professional lines.
‘They arrested Don Lemon. This is horrifying. I don’t care what your political beliefs or leanings are, what journalism outlet you represent, this absolutely cannot stand.’
