Former cable news host contests FACE Act charges after arrest tied to demonstration at St. Paul church.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has pled not guilty to federal charges stemming from his arrest in connection with a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Lemon formally entered his plea Friday in a case brought by the Trump administration against eight individuals accused of participating in what authorities described as a coordinated action at Cities Church. Protesters, including Lemon, believed the church’s pastor, David Easterwood, was leading the Minneapolis Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office.
Attorney General <a href=”https://thehill.com/people/pam-bondi/”>Pam Bondi</a> said Lemon was taken into custody in connection with “a coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
Federal prosecutors have charged Lemon under the FACE Act, a 1994 statute enacted to protect access to abortion clinics and other reproductive health facilities. The administration alleges the law applies to the events at the church.
Lemon, who previously hosted a prime-time program on CNN before his dismissal in 2023, now produces “The <a href=”https://thehill.com/people/don-lemon/”>Don Lemon</a> Show” on YouTube and Substack as an independent journalist.
His arrest has drawn vocal support from prominent Democratic figures. Former Vice President Kamala Harris said his arrest “is another affront to our rights and freedoms and should alarm and enrage us.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote on X: “ICE is occupying communities and shooting Americans. Now, former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested for covering what ICE is doing. Arresting journalists is what happens in tin-pot dictatorships. We must fight back against authoritarianism.”
Lemon was released at the end of January on a no-money bond. Speaking outside a Downtown Los Angeles courthouse, he pledged to continue his work.
“I will not stop now. I will not stop ever,” Lemon said.
“In fact, there is no more important time but right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on truth and holds those in power accountable.”
Lemon said the Department of Justice arrested him “for something I’ve been doing for the last 30 years, and that is covering the news.”
He further alleged that the DOJ sought to “silence” him and infringe upon his constitutional protections.
“The First Amendment of the Constitution protects that work for me and for countless other journalists who do what I do. I stand with all of them and I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.”
Original article
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