Don Lemon’s Arrest Is a Warning to Every Journalist in America
The Trump administration isn’t just enforcing the law—it’s using arrests as intimidation, and the press is the target.
Discussion video (why I decided to write about this) for paid subscribers follows:
Don Lemon was arrested for doing his job. But proving him guilty in court is not the administration’s only goal. Arresting and charging him are acts of intimidation aimed at every journalist in America. The message is clear: If we don’t like you, we’ll find a way to get you.
Here’s what led to the arrest.
Lemon, a former CNN anchor who is now a popular independent podcaster, embedded himself with Minnesotans outraged by a violent federal campaign to find, arrest, and deport thousands of undocumented immigrants living in Minneapolis.
That campaign is being carried out by roughly 3,000 officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Border Patrol. The officers have operated like storm troopers, moving in large squads that swoop down on businesses, private homes, and city streets. Large numbers of local residents have responded with their own campaign. They warn those targeted in the sweeps by blowing whistles and honking car horns. They also track the agents and record their actions on their phones.
As the weeks passed, officers—wearing combat gear and carrying pistols, rifles, and tear gas—became increasingly belligerent toward protesters. Then, on January 7, a squad confronted a 37-year-old woman named Renee Good, who had positioned her car to block their vehicles. She remained behind the wheel as agents shouted at her. As the car inched forward, one of them shot her multiple times, killing her where she sat.
President Trump and others in the administration defended the officer who killed her and branded Good a “domestic terrorist” who had “weaponized” her car. Video shot from multiple angles showed the officer had not been touched by Good’s slowly moving vehicle and captured him calling her a “fucking bitch” after she was dead.
As federal officials blocked state and local investigators and continued to disparage Good, tensions escalated rapidly. Ordinary citizens were taken into custody. In one case, an elderly man was marched out of his house in his underwear. He turned out to be a citizen. In another, a five-year-old wearing a blue bunny hat was seized as he returned home from school.
With agents acting like gang members and protesters growing more frustrated and determined, a second killing became inevitable. On January 24, a Veterans Administration intensive care nurse named Alex Pretti was among a small group of protesters confronting officers on a city street. When agents shoved a woman into a snowbank, Pretti bent down to help her up. At that moment, officers grabbed him and tried to wrestle him to the ground. The struggle ended when two agents fired their Glock handguns roughly ten times. As Pretti lay motionless on the ground, clearly dead, they walked away.
Recorded by multiple bystanders and released to the press, Pretti’s killing galvanized the protest movement and sparked marches and vigils across the country. Facing mounting pressure, President Trump called for “de-escalation.” On the ground, nothing changed.
Which brings us to Sunday morning, January 18, and Cities Church in St. Paul, Minneapolis’s twin city. A lay pastor at the church, David Easterwood, is a director at a local ICE field office. The church itself is part of the Christian nationalist movement.
Lemon joined a caravan of protesters headed to the church. He entered the sanctuary, filming as a reporter. Protesters disrupted the service with chants of “ICE OUT!” The service ended, and frightened congregants left.
There is little doubt the protesters violated a federal law by disrupting religious worship. There is also little doubt Lemon was exercising his First Amendment rights as a journalist. For roughly a decade, Lemon has been a thorn in Donald Trump’s side, criticizing and sometimes mocking him on CNN. Trump responded with repeated public attacks.
As Trump has promised to settle scores with his perceived enemies, his administration has sued major broadcasters, forced out traditional journalists, and replaced them with sycophants posing as reporters. The White House press room now rewards toadies who ask softball questions—and even applaud the president. On January 14, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist over a leak she had reported. After Lemon’s arrest, the White House posted gleefully about it on social media.
By targeting Lemon, Attorney General Pam Bondi is doing the president’s dirty work while claiming to defend religious freedom. Freedom of worship and freedom of the press are both enshrined in the Constitution. By going after Lemon, Bondi is abusing both our founding document and the law meant to protect church services. Lemon did nothing to disrupt the service.
At a moment of national crisis, the public needs journalists more than ever. Their work is protected for a reason. Yet Bondi’s prosecutors were so determined to arrest Lemon that they continued seeking a warrant even after two judges refused to sign one. If there is any justice left in our system, the judge who hears this case will dismiss the charges and strike a blow for press freedom.
Until then, we have one more reason to protest.
Video for paid subscribers:
