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Don Lemon charged with federal civil rights crimes after his arrest

Don Lemon issues defiant message after Justice Department’s efforts to prosecute him over anti-ICE protest coverage

Journalist Don Lemon has been charged with federal civil rights crimes after his arrest in Los Angeles Thursday night.
Lemon, along with independent journalist Georgia Fort and two protest participants, faces charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers at Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18.
The protest disrupted a service at Cities Church, where a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor, and was in response to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer.
Lemon was acting as an independent journalist, chronicling protesters, and Lemon's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said his work is protected by the First Amendment.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrests, saying the administration would pursue those who violate the right to worship freely, while media advocates criticized the arrests as an attempt to intimidate journalists.