MN - Journalist Don Lemon arrested for church protest, Minneapolis, 18 Jan 2026

[keek]

Don Lemon was fired from CNN.

(Bolding by BBC)

CNN anchor Don Lemon has hit out at the network after his firing, which came after accusations of misogyny and misbehaviour.

Don Lemon, CNN anchor, fired after 17 years on the network

Don Lemon drew criticism after saying US politician Nikki Haley, 51, was not "in her prime".

www.bbc.com

After arrest, Don Lemon's post-CNN pivot faces biggest test yet

Don Lemon has been arrested after covering an ICE protest in Minnesota as an independent journalist. Here's what to know about his post-CNN career.

www.usatoday.com

The former CNN broadcaster, 59, who was ousted from the network after what were called sexist and ageist comments, was arrested Friday, Jan. 30, weeks after covering a protest inside a Minnesota church on Jan. 18, according to The New York Times and CBS News.

He's not disgraced. We all know how big corporations work. So much behind the scenes of what's working for the numbers and who's not. ALL about keeping the ratings. USA has so many news programs for decades. We know what was said and what went down. Terribly missed hence the loss was only his role on CNN. Never disgraced clearly. Super popular because of exactly his down to earth and raw thoughts and critical, honest core. Past her prime was a sexist comment, no one disputes that. It seems Ms. Haley has had her eyes opened since regarding t. She did once in a while show her own thoughts. Hoping she is another repub party member who are not about letting the current admin stand as they are so far. IMO

 

[Deleted member 369619]

Don Lemon was fired from CNN.

(Bolding by BBC)

CNN anchor Don Lemon has hit out at the network after his firing, which came after accusations of misogyny and misbehaviour.

Don Lemon, CNN anchor, fired after 17 years on the network

Don Lemon drew criticism after saying US politician Nikki Haley, 51, was not "in her prime".

www.bbc.com

After arrest, Don Lemon's post-CNN pivot faces biggest test yet

Don Lemon has been arrested after covering an ICE protest in Minnesota as an independent journalist. Here's what to know about his post-CNN career.

www.usatoday.com

The former CNN broadcaster, 59, who was ousted from the network after what were called sexist and ageist comments, was arrested Friday, Jan. 30, weeks after covering a protest inside a Minnesota church on Jan. 18, according to The New York Times and CBS News.

But what does his firing from CNN have ANYTHING to do with this thread?

 

[K9Enzo]

Don Lemmon has his own independent platform.
No comparison to Rachel Maddox, imo.

DL platform is more like Truth Social. Look it up.


All imo

I believe Don Lemon is a journalist. No argument there. IMO he was arrested for breaking the law.

 

[303gmf]

But what does his firing from CNN have ANYTHING to do with this thread?

I’m over here wondering about all the Fox firings ?
Anti CNN bias is too strange
IMO

 

[keek]

The Fox firings were head spinning, Whatever their reasons were, no matter. SOOO much wild and disproven 'info' were some reasons, caught out. IMO

 

[Ontario Mom]

I've been reluctant to post here because I know people at this church (and who support this church) so for me it's very personal.

According to the indictment Read the DOJ indictment of Don Lemon and other journalists, activists, there is PLENTY of evidence to demonstrate Lemon was not there simply to objectively observe and report, as he claims. He knew what was going to take place, he actively kept the protestor's locations & plans a secret (that's not being objective, that's being involved), he knew how it was all going to go down before it did, and he did nothing to remove himself from it, or notify the proper authorities that a federal crime was about to take place. That's the first charge, the conspiring to interfere with worship. The second charge is exactly how him and his band of protestors actually did it. For crying out loud, the man flippin' recorded himself saying what was going on before it ever happened. Essentially a confession of conspiring to commit the federal offenses. A grand jury had access to all of this information and agreed he broke the law by his involvement in this.

COUNT ONE 18 US.C. § 241 — Conspiracy Against Right of Religious Freedom at Place of Worship
COUNT TWO 18 U.S.C. § 248(a)(2),(b), § 2(a) — Injure, Intimidate, and Interfere with Exercise of Right of Religious Freedom at Place of Worship

From reading the indictment, I am 100% convinced Lemon is guilty of exactly what he's been charged with, and should face the full legal consequence of his actions.

jmo

 

[otto]

It's okay that a pastor who is affiliated with a white supremacy church is a federal law enforcement officer? That seems very Third Reich to me, but MOO.

Is the North America Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention a "white supremacy" church?

"Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, to which the church belongs, said in a statement that “what occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment.”

Protest at Minnesota Church Service Adds to Tensions Over ICE Tactics

The Justice Department said it would investigate the protest over a pastor’s apparent role in immigration enforcement in the state.

www.nytimes.com

This appears to be the website the church that was targeted by protesters:

https://www.namb.net/https://www.namb.net/

 

[witchway]

Don Lemon just on youtube has

TheDonLemonShow
1.14M subscribers

 

[Cryptic]

I suspect that a similar protest at a US synagogue or mosque could be interpreted as discrimination against those who practice their beliefs. In this instance, where protesters objected to the job role of a member of the church, and therefore subjected all members of that church (including children) to fear and harassment, it should fall under discrimination.

I fully agree. I am hoping that the concept applies to journalists disrupting the functioning of a church, mosque, temple by giving "interviews".

 

[keek]

Don Lemon just on youtube has

TheDonLemonShow
1.14M subscribers

Numbers will go up IMO

 

[Cryptic]

So? We have a felon for President.

It’s a different world now. No one cares bout breakin’ laws.

All imo

The two things are separate matters.

Freedom of Religion means little if it can be disrupted at anytime because person "X" feels that there are "uncool" people associated with that church, mosque etc.

Nor does the ability to worship freely depend on whether person "P" has an arrest record or not.

 

[waldojabba]

I'm sure they do. This church, however, has a pastor who works for law enforcement at the federal level who deal with the arrests of illegal immigrants in our country. And it has nothing to do with this case of Lemon and company storming a church in the U.S. which is against the law.

Many pastors, who are not affiliated with a white supremacist Christian nationalist church, have other jobs that are not related to evicting brown people, who may or may not be legal immigrants, from the country they live in.

MOO

If I take a moment to stop and thnk about this
It would seem to me that both his "jobs" are complimentary sharing similar views -
In lock step with one another perhaps


JMO

 

[Cryptic]

This is not proof that he was part of the protest, but he has been charged with being part of the protest.

The law that you cited implied that it is illegal for anybody ("journalist, non journalist etc) to interfere with a worship service. That might include following people in and giving "interviews".

In short, Lemon might not need to be part of a "protest". Rather, he might just have needed to have disrupt the service.

 

[Cryptic]

An independent journalist is a reporter or writer who isn't tied to a single large media corporation or government, offering unbiased news free from corporate or political influence, often working as a freelancer or through platforms like Substack to report on issues and hold power accountable, serving the public interest directly. They focus on editorial independence, using various digital tools to deliver unvarnished facts and contribute to informed public debate.
Why They Matter

• • Informed Decisions:
    They provide the public with facts needed for informed decisions on important issues.
  • Accountability:
    They hold institutions accountable by challenging authority and exposing wrongdoing.
  • Diverse Perspectives:
    They bring diverse voices and investigative angles to the media landscape, especially in areas with constrained media freedom.

Though I have no idea as to whether this is a legal definition.

Its is very obvious that anybody can be an "independent journalist"- wink, nod, giggle, giggle at anytime as nearly everything in the "definition" is a matter of opinion.

 

[Emerald1328]

(rbbm)
There were two IMO’s on that post. imo

That’s good to know. Then the response shouldn’t be “do own your research”.

Edit: IMO (not to make light of the situation )

 

[CSIDreamer]

His defense will likely be he was there as a journalist not a protest participant. That makes it a core issue.

It's my opinion that the protesters (whether that group included Lemon as protester or journalist) chose that particular church BECAUSE it is a white nationalist congregation with a leader who is with ICE.

They didn't pick a church like mine that is not white nationalist.

So, the type of church is indeed part of the story, as distasteful and likely illegal as it is that a church service was interrupted (which I repeat once again that I don't approve of).

jmopinion

I think this is precedent setting, though. While the type of church may be a chapter in the book so to speak, the whole book is the larger story.

Can someone *known* as a former network journalist, then as an independent journalist, help plan a church protest the way he did (he used the word reconnaissance to describe his own actions), and then play victim (playing the victim is how people avoid responsibility IMO) to avoid prosecution under a very real FACE Act?

 

[303gmf]

If any of those people barge into what some might deem a "Terrorist Mosque" to "interview" an Imam about terrorism, they need to get prosecuted and jailed fast.

Conflating, whataboutism on full display

 

[303gmf]

I think this is precedent setting, though. While the type of church may be a chapter in the book so to speak, the whole book is the larger story.

Can someone *known* as a former network journalist, then as an independent journalist, help plan a church protest the way he did (he used the word reconnaissance to describe his own actions), and then play victim (playing the victim is how people avoid responsibility IMO) to avoid prosecution under a very real FACE Act?

The Johnson Amendment with strong jaws is sorely needed

 

[Cryptic]

Conflating, whataboutism on full display

No really.

One journalist disrupted the services of what some may deem to be a "White Supremacist Church". Thinking that there might be similar idiot journalists out there willing to disrupt what others deem to be a "Terrorist Mosque".

All journalists of who do this need to go to jail- fast.

 

[CSIDreamer]

The Johnson Amendment with strong jaws is sorely needed

Do you have proof this particular church is involved in political campaigning or is this just a generalized comment?