US Attorney General Pam Bondi released an official statement regarding the arrest of independent journalist Don Lemon in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church.
On January 30, Bondi published a post detailing the arrest of Lemon and three other people who were allegedly present at the demonstration:
“At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
Don Lemon’s arrest made international headlines. Lemon is a former CNN anchor who later founded the Lemon Media Network. He currently hosts The Don Lemon Show, which has an audience of 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube, 2.4 million followers on Instagram and 114,000 subscribers on Substack.
Also detained were journalist, Georgia Fort, a triple Emmy award-winner and host of the television news program Here’s The Truth with Georgia Fort, Trahern Crews, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota and former chair of the Green Party of Minnesota, and Jamael Lundy, a candidate for the Minnesota State Senate. Lundy currently serves as the intergovernmental affairs coordinator in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office,
Federal authorities said the arrests are connected to a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul that interrupted worship service. Officials allege the demonstration unlawfully interfered with worshippers’ right to religious worship. Protesters chanted, “ICE out,” during the demonstration.
Cities Church was selected by protest organizers because one of its pastors, David Easterwood, also serves as acting field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in St. Paul.
The Department of Justice initially sought to obtain arrest warrants for Lemon from U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko and Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz. However, both declined to approve arrest warrants, citing insufficient evidence. The DOJ then brought the matter beofre a federal grand jury which returned an indictment against the journalists and protesters.
Earlier in January, federal immigration officers shot and killed Minneapolis residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti, prompting widespread demonstration and calls for accountability.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
References
- Instagram.com/bygeorgiafort
- Trahern Crews: 2024 Bush Fellow. Bush Foundation.
- Trahern Crews Bio. Granicus. City of St. Paul.
- Black Lives Matter Minnesota.
- Lundy, J. About Me. Jamael Lundy for State Senate District 65 Official website.
