Don Lemon Says Agents Arrested Him Despite Offer to Surrender
Lemon says about a dozen federal agents arrested him Jan. 26 at a Beverly Hills hotel despite his attorney offering to let him surrender.
Overview
Don Lemon said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" that about a dozen agents arrested him at a Beverly Hills hotel on Jan. 26 despite his lawyer offering to surrender.
A Minnesota grand jury indicted Lemon and eight co-defendants on charges including conspiracy to deprive rights and violating the FACE Act over a Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, court documents show.
Attorney Abbe Lowell said Lemon will plead not guilty and vowed to fight the charges, while Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the arrests on Fox News as enforcement of the FACE Act.
The Justice Department has deployed roughly 3,000 federal agents to the Twin Cities and prosecutors requested a $100,000 bond at Lemon's initial hearing, court records show.
Lemon is scheduled to appear in federal court on Feb. 9 in Minneapolis, court records show.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a First Amendment and government-overreach issue by foregrounding Lemon’s vivid arrest account, emphasizing defense and press‑freedom group statements, noting DOJ non‑response, and highlighting the novel use of the FACE Act — structural choices that privilege civil‑liberties perspectives over prosecutorial rationale.
Sources (43)
FAQ
Don Lemon faces charges of conspiracy to deprive rights, violating the FACE Act, and interfering with First Amendment rights of worshipers over a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul.
The FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) prohibits interference with access to reproductive health services, but here it is cited in connection with obstructing religious worship at a church during the protest.
Lemon and co-defendants allegedly entered the church in a coordinated takeover, confronting and physically obstructing congregants as they tried to exit during the protest.
Lemon was released without bond after his initial appearance. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Minneapolis on February 9 and plans to plead not guilty.
Federal agents arrested Lemon at a Beverly Hills hotel around midnight on January 26 on a Minnesota warrant, despite his attorney Abbe Lowell offering surrender, as he was covering the Grammy Awards.
History
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