‌Don Lemon was arrested by federal brokers on Thursday night time and his beef with Donald Trump simply hit an entire new degree. The former CNN host was covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles when feds rolled up and took him into custody.

This all stems from that anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 19, the place Lemon filmed demonstrators disrupting a church service.

The Minnesota church protest occurred as a result of demonstrators claimed one of many pastors was an ICE official. Lemon went inside with the protesters and filmed what went down through the service disruption.

“Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it,” Don Lemon mentioned in his personal protection.

But Trump’s administration sees it in another way. They’re treating this like Lemon crossed a line from journalism into activism. Trump wasted zero time going after Lemon throughout a press briefing.

“Don Lemon is a loser, lightweight,” the president mentioned. “I saw him walk into that church like he owned the place.”

This arrest represents the wildest escalation but in a feud that’s been brewing for years. Trump has been calling Lemon names since approach again, hitting him with “dumbest man on television” and different insults at any time when he bought the prospect.

Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, fired again exhausting in an announcement posted to Instagram.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell mentioned.

The lawyer known as this entire scenario “an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and a transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration.”

Don Lemon’s lawyer identified the twisted priorities right here.

“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest,” Lowell mentioned.

Here’s the place it will get actually wild. A federal Justice of the Peace choose already rejected prices in opposition to Lemon as soon as. The Trump Justice Department tried to cost eight individuals related to the church protest, however the choose solely accepted prices for 3 others, leaving Lemon out.

Trump’s DOJ then appealed the choice and was once more rebuffed by an appeals courtroom. But they saved pushing till they lastly bought their arrest.

Attorney General Pam Bondi known as the church incident a “coordinated attack” and personally directed the arrests of Lemon and three different protesters. She’s been speaking powerful about this case, promising to “pursue this to the ends of the Earth.”

The backstory between Trump and Lemon goes deep.

When Lemon was nonetheless at CNN, Donald Trump would repeatedly blast him on social media and through press conferences. The assaults bought private, with Trump questioning Lemon’s intelligence and calling him irrelevant.

Lemon bought fired from CNN in April 2023 after making controversial feedback about Nikki Haley. He walked away with a large $24.5 million settlement.

Since leaving CNN, Lemon has been working as an unbiased journalist. He’s stayed crucial of Trump, which clearly nonetheless will get beneath the president’s pores and skin. Jim Acosta, Lemon’s former CNN colleague, jumped on social media after the arrest.

“This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!” he wrote.

Trump’s sample of going after media critics is well-documented. The administration already raided Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s residence earlier this month, seizing her units.

Don Lemon is anticipated to make his first courtroom look on Friday (January 30).

Harmeet Dhillon from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made it clear they’re not backing down. “We’re going to pursue this to the ends of the Earth,” she mentioned throughout a podcast interview Friday.

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