Don Lemon pleads not guilty over ICE protest coverage
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has pleaded not guilty in a criminal case stemming from his coverage of a protest at a Minnesota church against U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants.
Lemon entered the courthouse in St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota, wearing a black suit. He clapped his hands and waved to supporters as he entered, but did not answer reporters’ questions.
Lemon, standing at the podium next to his lawyers, answered “not guilty” when asked about his defense.
Lemon, now a freelance journalist, livestreamed a protest against Trump’s deployment of thousands of armed immigration agents to Democratic-run Minnesota’s largest cities.
The protest disrupted a service at Cities Church in St Paul on January 18. He was charged with conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating a law that was used to suppress demonstrations at abortion clinics and also prohibited blocking access to places of worship.
local time on Friday, the courtroom was packed with people supporting Lemon and church protesters who were also there to be arraigned.
Dozens of Lemon supporters gathered outside the courthouse, chanting “drop the charges” and “protect free speech.”
They held signs with slogans such as “Lemon was just doing his job” and “ICE out.”
Lemon, who stood next to his wife after the allegation, told reporters that he would fight the “baseless accusations” against him and that he could not be silenced.
“The events leading up to my arrest and the events since show that people are finally understanding what this administration is all about,” Lemon said.
“This process is their punishment, and like all of you in Minnesota. … I will not back down.”
Lemon’s attorney called the lawsuit an attack on his First Amendment rights to free speech.
The president, a frequent critic of Lemon, praised the Justice Department for bringing the charges against the journalist and called the disruption of church services “a terrible thing.”
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis and other U.S. cities in January to denounce a crackdown on immigrants in which federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Trump has since agreed to end the wave of deportations in Minnesota, and many agents are preparing to return to their home states next week.
Organizers of the Cities Church protest told Lemon they chose the church because they believed a senior pastor there worked with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In a livestream archived on his YouTube channel, Lemon is seen meeting and interviewing activists before heading to church.
He then records the disruption inside and interviews the congregation, the protesters, and a pastor who asked Lemon and the protesters to leave.
Lemon spent 17 years at CNN, becoming one of CNN’s best-known personalities and frequently criticizing Trump in his YouTube broadcasts.
Lemon was fired by CNN in 2023 after apologizing for sexist comments she made on air.
