By CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER and WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS
Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday morning after joining pro-immigration protesters who stormed a Minnesota church, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The former CNN anchor, 59, has been taken into federal custody over the incident that was filmed for his show at the Cities Church in St Paul on January 18.
He has been charged with conspiracy to deprive rights and a violation of the FACE act, which prohibits interfering with someone’s right to worship.
A source told the Daily Mail that Lemon was seen being handcuffed while flanked by FBI and Homeland Security agents, and he ‘didn’t look overly happy.’
Before Lemon was arrested Thursday night, he attended the Grammy‘s Recording Academy Honors awards show in Los Angeles, where he was pictured alongside rapper Busta Rhymes.
The incident that led to Lemon’s arrest unfolded earlier this month, when he filmed protesters opposed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting the church because one of its pastors, David Eastwood, also leads the local ICE field office.
Protesters screamed and harassed worshippers during the incident, which sparked nationwide fury.
In a statement from Lemon’s attorney Abbe Lowell following his arrest, the journalist defended the storming of the church in Minnesota as ‘constitutionally protected.’
‘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 statement read.
‘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.’
