The charge sheet lands like a thunderclap — and the aftershocks will be political, legal, and cultural.
Journalist Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles early Friday in connection with a January 18 disruption of a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, authorities said.
Lemon spent the night in jail.
Officials at U.S. Department of Homeland Security say Lemon is charged under 18 U.S.C. § 241 (conspiracy against rights) and 18 U.S.C. § 248 (the FACE Act provisions that also cover places of religious worship).
The heart of the § 241 allegation is old, blunt language — the kind Congress wrote for uglier eras — making it a crime when “two or more persons” conspire to injure, threaten, or intimidate someone in the free exercise of constitutional rights. The statute’s baseline maximum penalty is up to 10 years in prison (higher in aggravated scenarios).
And then there’s the FACE Act — better known to most Americans for clinic access battles — but written to reach beyond them: it also prohibits force, threats, or physical obstruction that interferes with someone exercising religious freedom “at a place of religious worship.”
His attorney maintained that the frequently fired correspondent was part of the pack that stormed the St. Paul church merely while working as a journalist, making it “constitutionally protected work.”
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable,” said Lowell, who also represented disgraced former first son Hunter Biden.
“Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
Lemon is expected to appear in court in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, according to published reports.
