Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested, Newsmax’s James Rosen and a Justice Department official familiar with the matter confirmed Friday.
CBS News also reported the arrest, citing sources.
Lemon livestreamed a demonstration that interrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month that protested President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the area.
Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, called his arrest an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”
Lemon said he was at the demonstration as a journalist. He said he was tipped off ahead of time but did not know the activists would disrupt the service.
He can be seen arguing with a parishioner about immigration enforcement. Trump administration officials quickly condemned the demonstration and accused protesters of intimidating Christian worshippers.
It was not immediately clear what charge or charges Lemon was facing in the Jan. 18 protest. The arrest came after a magistrate judge last week rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge the journalist.
Hellbound and Down 