According to multiple reports and a statement from his attorney Abbe Lowell, former CNN anchor and far-left pundit Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday night in Los Angeles by federal authorities for his role in the January 18 storming of a St. Paul area church by an organized mob of far-left rioters under the guise of protesting the January 7 death of Renee Good and an alleged pastor’s role with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE).
According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Lemon was one of four new arrests in connection to this incident, bringing the total to seven.
BREAKING: Don Lemon was arrested by federal authorities for his role in a conspiracy to deprive the members of Cities Church of their right to the free exercise of religion, as guaranteed by the First Amendment (18 USC 241) pic.twitter.com/4W2LYdekBd pic.twitter.com/v7uSIK2S65
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) January 30, 2026
So, buckle up, dear readers. The liberal media meltdowns will be….biblical (pun intended).
Lowell – who’s also represented Hunter Biden – argued his client did nothing wrong because “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work,” he added.
He said Lemon “will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly” and they represent an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment”:
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. 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.
In other words, Lemon and his team will argue he was merely observing what took place when the livestream (which our friends at the Free Beacon broke down in a masterful piece of analysis) showed otherwise.
Lemon – who expressed prior acknowledge of the incident and tagged along with the group (many of whom he greeted as friends) – harassed the church’s pastor during the insurrection and argued he wasn’t following Jesus by not supporting the angry disruption and turning his service over to them.
In the days following what transpired over the hours-long livestream, Lemon was unrepentant.
Speaking to fellow far-left podcaster Jennifer Welch, Lemon compared what he and his friends pulled off to those in the Civil Rights Movement sitting at segregated lunch counters. And, as part of his belief that the church is not a true Christian community, Lemon asserted they should have welcome them as a modern-day embodiment of Jesus overturning the money tables outside the synagogue.
Lemon also took aim at anyone who was traumatized to the incident, which would include young children. In his mind, at least Lemon and his crew didn’t jail them or worse.
This piece will be updated. Stay tuned to NewsBusters for more throughout the day and in the days and weeks to come on this story.\
