Don Lemon Recounts His Arrest – Warning Jimmy Kimmel It Was Designed to ‘Intimidate’ Journalists
Don Lemon He detailed for the first time the moment “a dozen” federal officers arrested him in connection with his reporting on an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota; He said this demonstration was designed to “embarrass” him, “instill fear” and “intimidate” journalists.
Former CNN anchor revealed Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night was his first major television appearance since the incident.
Homeowner Jimmy Kimmel He introduced himself as someone who was “arrested for journalism, which is a very serious crime under our current administration.”
Lemon reiterated his insistence that he was not at the church as a protester but to “record, document and record what was happening.”
He described being “pushed and hoisted” and then handcuffed by multiple officers near a hotel elevator in Los Angeles after returning from a Grammy-related event he was covering. After requesting a search warrant, he said, an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed him a copy over the phone.
And I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said. They said, ‘We came to arrest you,’ and I said, ‘Who are you?’ I said. and finally they introduced themselves. And I said, ‘If that’s you, then where’s the permit?’ I said. They didn’t have a warrant, so they had to wait for someone from the outside, an FBI guy, to show me a warrant on a cell phone, and while I was, you know, trying to get my bearings, figure out what was going on, they dropped all my stuff.
My glasses fell to the ground. ‘I can’t read this,’ I said. So they had to take my glasses, I read and still what does this mean? Then a group of men took me out. FBI men were there. I mean, there should have been maybe a dozen people, which is a waste of resources, Jimmy.
According to Lemon, his lawyer contacted federal authorities and offered to surrender. There was no response until he was taken into custody days later.
He went on to state that the arrest was designed to humiliate and intimidate: “Well, you’re right that it’s more than a waste of resources. They want it. They want to embarrass you. They want to intimidate you. They want to instill fear. That’s why they did it that way.”
Asked how he was coping, Lemon replied, “I don’t know; that’s the honest answer,” and then added: “I’m fine, I’m not going to let them steal my joy, but this is very serious. These are federal criminal charges.”
He said he could not discuss much of the case but confirmed: kept Legal advisor to the president Donald Trump publicly called for his arrest, followed by similar statements from senior officials, including the Attorney General Pam BondiIt’s about the church thing.
Lemon also said she was not allowed to make phone calls while in custody and was unable to reach her husband or lawyer until the next day: “I asked them, ‘Am I going to be able to have my only phone?’ I asked. They said, ‘No, you don’t.’ ‘You can talk to your lawyer when the court says you can.’”
Her husband learned of her arrest only after Lemon asked an agent to give him the bracelet she was wearing.
While Lemon said some agents later treated him unprofessionally, he drew a sharp line against his arresters, describing the encounter as deliberately punitive.
Watch above on ABC.
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