Don Lemon Arrested by Feds in LA

Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, was taken into federal custody Thursday night in Los Angeles, according to multiple sources cited by CBS News. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed that agents detained the longtime broadcaster while he was in the city to cover this weekend’s Grammy Awards. Sources told CBS that a grand jury had convened earlier in the day and that both the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations took part in the arrest.

Authorities have not publicly detailed the charges. The Associated Press reports that the arrest follows a decision last week by a federal magistrate in Minnesota who declined prosecutors’ request to move forward with charges at that time. Lowell has characterized the case as a matter of press freedom, saying Lemon’s reporting in Minneapolis—connected to a protest at a Minneapolis-area church earlier this month involving federal agents—was consistent with his decades of experience as a journalist.

Lemon has said he attended the protest at St. Paul’s Cities Church strictly in a reporting capacity. In a recent video cited by The New York Times, he said, “Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church, and members of the organization. That’s it. That’s called journalism.”

In a statement, 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.” He described the case as “unprecedented” and criticized the Justice Department under President Trump, alleging it was drawing attention away from other issues, including the fatal shooting of two protesters by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this month. Lowell added that Lemon intends to fight the charges “vigorously and thoroughly.”

Lemon is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday. The Department of Justice has not commented.