Trump Administration Arrests Journalist Don Lemon

Courtesy: Don Lemon/YouTube

Media Action Plan condemns the arrests of American journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort during a protest last week at a Minnesota church, calling it an assault on press freedom in the strongest terms possible. 

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel labelled the Jan. 18 arrests as a “coordinated targeting” of the church, following taking former CNN anchor Lemon and longtime independent journalist Fort into custody, along with two others.

These arrests are a clear violation of the U.S. First Amendment, and Media Action Plan joins the calls for the immediate release of these two journalists.

On Jan. 18, a protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency took place outside Cities Church in St. Paul, which disrupted the service.  Activists called out a pastor, who reportedly also works for ICE.  Lemon and Fort covered the protest, both inside and outside the church.Four days later, on Jan. 22, a federal magistrate judge from Minnesota declined the Department of Justice bid to charge the two reporters, The DOJ alleged the defendants were unlawfully interfering with the churchgoers' constitutionally-protected freedom to practice religion. And they didn’t let the judge’s ruling slow down their pursuit of charges.

On Jan. 23, an appeals court again rejected the criminal complaint for arrest warrants from the DOJ. Then, on Jan. 30, both Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested, despite the absence of a judge’s warrant.

Lemon’s lawyer Abbe Lowell, condemned the arrest. “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.

The arrest of Lemon and Fort marks a new level of press suppression in the United States.  

U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently attacked media outlets and reporters who give him unfavourable coverage, famously labelling mainstream media as the “enemy of the people.” 

In a statement, House Democrat leader Hakeem Jefferies put out noted  that “Don Lemon is an accomplished journalist whose urgent work is protected by the First Amendment. There is zero basis to arrest him, and he should be freed immediately.” 

Media Action Plan and other media organizations have been swift in their condemnation of this attack on the free press. We stand in solidarity with Don Lemon and Georgia Fort.

When journalists are criminalized, democracy itself is under threat. Journalism is not a crime.