Don Lemon says he offered to turn himself in but agents were sent for him

21 hours ago 8

Don Lemon says astir a twelve national agents came to his Los Angeles edifice to apprehension him past week adjacent though his lawyer had told authorities helium would crook himself successful to look federal civilian rights charges implicit his sum of an anti-immigration enforcement protestation that disrupted a work astatine a Minnesota church.

Lemon told ABC late-night big Jimmy Kimmel that sending the agents was a discarded of resources due to the fact that instrumentality enforcement wouldn't person had to dispatch agents to travel him if he'd been allowed to surrender to authorities.

"I was walking up to the country and I pressed the elevator fastener and past each of a abrupt I consciousness myself being jostled and radical (were) trying to drawback maine and enactment maine successful handcuffs," the autarkic writer said Monday connected the amusement connected "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

He asked the agents who they were and said they identified themselves. Lemon asked to spot a warrant and was told they didn't person it. The agents past summoned an FBI cause to travel successful from extracurricular to amusement Lemon the warrant connected a compartment phone.

The Department of Justice and FBI didn't instantly respond to messages seeking comment.

Kimmel introduced Lemon, his archetypal impermanent of the night, by saying helium was "was arrested for committing journalism."

Lemon's lawyer has said Lemon plans to plead not guilty. He told reporters "I volition not beryllium silenced" aft helium was released successful effect to a judge's orders.

A expansive assemblage successful Minnesota indicted Lemon, different autarkic journalist, Georgia Fort, and others connected charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during the Jan. 18 protestation astatine the Cities Church successful St. Paul, wherever a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authoritative is simply a pastor.

Lemon, who was fired from CNN successful 2023 pursuing a bumpy tally arsenic a greeting host, has said helium had nary affiliation to the radical that disrupted the Sunday work by entering the church.

Lemon said helium couldn't accidental overmuch astir the lawsuit but helium said helium was not a protester.

"I went determination to beryllium a journalist. I went determination to chronicle and papers and grounds what was happening. I was pursuing that 1 radical around, and truthful that's what I did. I reported connected them," Lemon said.

Abbe Lowell, Lemon's lawyer, said aft his apprehension that, "This unprecedented onslaught connected the First Amendment and transparent effort to distract attraction from the galore crises facing this medication volition not stand. Don volition combat these charges vigorously and thoroughly successful court."

Lemon said helium asked the arresting officers if they would fto him marque a telephone call. He said helium was told nary and that helium could speech to his lawyer the adjacent day. He tried to usage Siri connected his Apple Watch to telephone his hubby and his lawyer but neither picked up.

A diamond bracelet helium was wearing kept getting caught connected his handcuffs, which hurt, and the agents told Lemon they would instrumentality it off. Lemon said helium asked if the cause would caput taking it up to Lemon's hubby successful his edifice country and they agreed to bash that.

"And that's however my hubby recovered out. Otherwise, nary 1 would person known wherever I was," Lemon said.

Lemon said helium was kept successful a holding country astatine the national courthouse from midnight until 1 p.m. the pursuing day.

Kimmel himself became a awesome of a combat against censorship past year, erstwhile ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for remarks made pursuing the assassination of blimpish activistic Charlie Kirk. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr had pressured broadcasters to instrumentality Kimmel disconnected the aerial soon earlier that.

ABC lifted the suspension aft a nationalist outcry, and Kimmel returned to the aerial with overmuch stronger ratings than helium had before. In Congress, Democratic senators raised concerns that Carr's actions had trampled connected the First Amendment.

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