Don Lemon arrested over Cities Church protest; attorney calls it 'attack on the First Amendment'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Friday, January 30, 2026

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested Thursday evening in Los Angeles on federal charges related to his participation in disrupting a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month.

Federal agents arrested Lemon and three others "in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a Friday morning post to X, promising more details later.

Lemon was covering the Grammys Thursday evening when he was arrested, according to Abbe Lowell, Lemon's attorney, who also represented Hunter Biden.

"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 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," Lowell said.

Lowell went on to accuse the U.S. Department of Justice of deflecting from the recent fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.

"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, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case," he said.

"This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court," he added.

Lemon's arrest comes less than two weeks after he accompanied a group of left-wing protesters when they interrupted the morning service at Cities Church to demand the resignation of a lay pastor who also works for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Protesters, which included members of the Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter Minnesota, derailed the service and forced it to end early by shouting "ICE out!" and demanding justice for Good, who was fatally shot by ICE after driving into an agent.

Lemon recorded himself interrogating Cities Church Lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell at his pulpit, who calmly asked him to leave the building as Lemon attempted to grill him about the U.S. Constitution and Jesus.

NEW: Don Lemon tries lecturing a pastor on the First Amendment after a mob of far leftists stormed a church in Minneapolis.

Pastor: “This is unacceptable. It's shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship…”

Lemon: “Listen, there's a constitution, the First… pic.twitter.com/joHdCvaXe6

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 18, 2026

Parnell expressed gratitude to the U.S. Department of Justice for protecting his church and reiterated its commitment to Jesus Christ.

"We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known," Parnell said in a statement, according to The Daily Signal.

According to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) affidavit that went viral last weekend, families and children at Cities Church were left traumatized when the agitators blocked parents from accessing their children in Sunday school.

Activist William Kelly, who was one of the three organizers arrested last week before being released by a judge, reportedly screamed in the face of crying children that their parents were Nazis and were "going to burn in Hell." Organizers Nakima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen were also arrested last week and later released. Armstrong has likened her arrest to slavery.

Officials with the Trump administration have argued that the actions of the protesters violated the 18 U.S. Code § 241, known as "Conspiracy against rights," and the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which includes a provision protecting houses of worship from physical intimidation.

Amid widespread backlash and potential legal consequences, Lemon attempted to distance himself from the organizing protesters, though some have noted he had been with Armstrong before the incident and provided her crew with coffee and donuts. He has also likened the protest to Jesus Christ cleansing the temple, and accused the Cities Church congregants of being "entitled" white supremacists.

"Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization," Lemon said in a video after the protest drew scorn. "That's it. That's called journalism."

Last Friday, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an emergency petition from the DOJ seeking to arrest Lemon and four others, upholding an earlier lower court ruling.

Lemon is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday morning, according to The New York Times.