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White House Cheers Don Lemon’s Arrest At The Grammy Awards

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Don Lemon
Photo Credit: "Don Lemon" by jdlasica is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

The White House cheered the arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon as federal agents moved in over a Minnesota church protest that the Trump administration said crossed a legal line.

The White House openly celebrated Lemon’s arrest Thursday after the longtime television personality was taken into custody on federal charges tied to his actions during a protest at a Minnesota church earlier this month.

“When life gives you Lemons,” the official White House X account posted, pairing the message with a chain emoji as news of the arrest spread.

The post instantly set off backlash from press freedom advocates and Democrats while reinforcing the administration’s message that protest activity at houses of worship will be aggressively prosecuted.

Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said his client was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, where Lemon had been covering the Grammy awards.

Lowell framed the arrest as an attack on journalism itself, insisting Lemon was acting in a professional capacity while documenting events in Minneapolis.

“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, casting the case as a direct First Amendment fight rather than a routine law enforcement action.

Lowell accused the Trump administration of misdirecting federal power, arguing the Justice Department should be scrutinizing federal agents rather than arresting reporters.

“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump justice department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case,” he said.

The lawyer warned that the charges would not stand. “This unprecedented attack on the first amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” Lowell added.

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Lemon’s arrest Friday morning in a brief X post, saying three other people were also taken into custody and promising more information. Bondi did not elaborate on the sealed charges but pointed out that the case is active.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche brushed aside questions about Lemon during a press conference, signaling little sympathy for the uproar.

“What are you looking for me to do? Jump up and down. No, I don’t have a reaction to it,” Blanche said, declining further comment because the charges remain sealed.

Lemon is expected to appear in court Friday, setting up a legal showdown that has already drawn sharp reactions from across the media and political spectrum.

Former CNN colleague Jim Acosta blasted the arrest, framing it as a warning shot to journalists nationwide.

“This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!” Acosta wrote in a post on X.

CNN also condemned the move in a formal statement, raising questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the case.

“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 network pointed to previous judicial setbacks for prosecutors in Minnesota. “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 spokesperson said.

CNN defended the role of reporters covering volatile events. “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,” the spokesperson added.

Top Democrats in Congress also seized on Lemon’s arrest as proof of what they describe as political retaliation.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer used floor remarks to frame the case as part of a broader crackdown.

“Let’s be very clear – this arrest is not just about one journalist in one incident,” Schumer said. “The arrest is a dark message to journalists everywhere: if you dare criticize this administration, watch your back.”

Schumer accused the administration of abusing federal power. “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,” he said, calling for Lemon’s immediate release and the charges to be dropped.

The case stems from a protest at a Minnesota church amid backlash over a federal immigration crackdown.

The Trump administration has been gunning to arrest eight people, including Lemon, over their alleged roles in the demonstration, arguing the protest violated federal law protecting houses of worship.

Justice Department officials say the protesters violated the FACE Act, which shields people from interference and threats at religious sites. Lemon has repeatedly insisted he attended strictly as a journalist, not as a participant.

President Donald Trump weighed in earlier on the protest itself, dismissing demonstrators as coordinated agitators.

“They are highly trained to scream, rant, and rave, like lunatics, in a certain manner, just like they are doing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They are troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country.”

White House deputy chief of staff James Blair defended the arrest process Friday, pushing back on claims of political targeting.

“He was not just magically arrested,” Blair wrote on X, noting a federal grand jury indictment preceded Lemon’s detention.

The indictment followed a decision last week by a Minnesota magistrate judge rejecting earlier federal charges related to the same protest, adding another layer of controversy to the case.

Lemon has accused the administration of maneuvering around the courts. “I think it’s not over, because it doesn’t matter if there’s no law to fit, they will try to fit or retrofit something or go around a judge and just do it themselves,” Lemon said during an interview with Scripps News.

He argued his visibility made him a target. “If they get a Don Lemon, woohoo, that’s a victory,” he told former CNN host Alisyn Camerota, suggesting prosecutors were eager to make an example of him.

Justice Department civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon publicly warned Lemon weeks earlier, writing that a house of worship is protected space and that journalism does not excuse disrupting religious services.

“You are on notice,” Dhillon wrote, later adding that federal authorities were investigating potential criminal violations.

In a separate interview, Dhillon said Lemon’s status as a journalist did not provide immunity. “It isn’t and so we’re getting our ducks in a row, putting the facts together, and this is a very serious matter,” she said, warning protesters that harsh consequences could follow.

Lemon has maintained that he was singled out despite other reporters being present. “It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist,” he said in a statement, adding, “I stand by my reporting.”

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