{"id":271598,"date":"2026-02-03T09:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T09:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/271598\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T09:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T09:26:09","slug":"don-lemon-defends-his-reporting-of-anti-ice-protest-in-minnesota-during-interview-with-jimmy-kimmel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/271598\/","title":{"rendered":"Don Lemon defends his reporting of anti-ICE protest in Minnesota during interview with Jimmy Kimmel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Independent journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon defended his coverage of an anti-ICE protest<\/a> at a St. Paul, Minnesota, church, which resulted in his arrest last week<\/a>, telling Jimmy Kimmel on Monday that as a journalist, he \u201cwent there to chronicle and document and record what was happening.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere is a difference between a protester and a journalist,\u201d Lemon said on Kimmel\u2019s late-night show in his first interview since he was released without bail last Friday.\n <\/p>\n

\n Lemon and another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, were livestreaming as dozens of demonstrators interrupted a service at Cities Church on January 18, leading to tense confrontations. Protesters said one of the pastors is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities.\n <\/p>\n

\n Federal prosecutors lumped the two journalists in with protesters and charged them with conspiring to violate someone\u2019s constitutional rights and violating the FACE Act<\/a>, which prohibits the use of force or threats to intentionally interfere with someone expressing their First Amendment right to practice religion.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump administration officials had called for Lemon\u2019s arrest in the days after the protest, prompting him to take precautionary measures and hire an attorney, he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe attorney reached out to (prosecutors) and said basically, \u2018I understand that you have an interest because your folks have been talking about it. So, if you are serious about this, then let\u2019s do it the right way,\u201d Lemon told Kimmel, describing his willingness to turn himself in.\n <\/p>\n

\n But instead of being able to surrender voluntarily, Lemon said, at least a dozen federal agents were sent to arrest him in the lobby of a Los Angeles hotel, where he was staying while covering the Grammys.\n <\/p>\n

\n Lemon said he was \u201cjostled\u201d near a hotel elevator and placed in handcuffs, adding it took a while for agents to identify themselves and present him with a warrant.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think my attorney tried to contact them once, maybe twice \u2013\u2013 that I could just go in and it would have to be just the folks who were just working there that day. They wouldn\u2019t have to have all these people following me around,\u201d Lemon said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThey want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear,\u201d Lemon told Kimmel.\n <\/p>\n

\n Federal prosecutors have alleged Lemon and Fort participated in a \u201ctakeover-style attack\u201d of the church and intimidated congregants. A federal prosecutor in court last week said Lemon told his audience the protest\u2019s purpose was to make the experience traumatic and uncomfortable for the congregants.\n <\/p>\n

\n Lemon was released from custody on Friday after appearing in federal court. Prosecutors requested a $100,000 bond, and argued Lemon needed conditions to ensure he wouldn\u2019t feel emboldened to do something similar while awaiting trial.\n <\/p>\n

\n His defense attorneys agreed he would have no contact with known witnesses, victims or co-defendants, and must get approval for any foreign travel – the judge approved a trip to Europe planned in June.\n <\/p>\n

\n He is expected to be arraigned on Monday in Los Angeles.\n <\/p>\n

\n First Amendment advocates and civil rights organizations have condemned the charges and argued the administration is trying to chill press freedom.\n <\/p>\n

\n The choice of \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d for Lemon\u2019s first post-arrest interview was no accident. The Trump administration\u2019s targeting of Kimmel made news in September when ABC briefly suspended<\/a> the show amid government pressure. ABC brought the show back<\/a> within a week.\n <\/p>\n

\n After his arrest and knowing he wouldn\u2019t be able to conduct interviews normally at the Grammys, Lemon attended the awards gala Sunday as a guest instead of covering the red carpet.\n <\/p>\n

\"Don<\/p>\n

\n At an annual pre-Grammys gala hosted by music executive Clive Davis, Lemon received a shoutout from Davis and a partial standing ovation from the crowd, a testament to the widespread support for him in entertainment industry circles.\n <\/p>\n

\n On the day of the arrests, Jane Fonda\u2019s recently reestablished Committee for the First Amendment<\/a> said, \u201carresting journalists for doing their jobs is an attack on our freedoms and our democracy.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump administration officials have defended the arrests by asserting that the people who entered the church violated the First Amendment rights of the worshippers.\n <\/p>\n

\n Bondi said on Fox News Monday night, \u201cThese people committed a crime under the FACE Act and they will be held accountable.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n When President Donald Trump was asked about Lemon\u2019s case over the weekend, he said \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything about it,\u201d then proceeded to insult Lemon.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump also said \u201cprobably from his standpoint,\u201d the arrest was \u201cthe best thing that could happen to him,\u201d because Lemon has been getting so much attention.\n <\/p>\n

\n Legal experts told CNN that the charges against the journalists are highly unusual<\/a> and will be difficult for government prosecutors to prove at trial.\n <\/p>\n