Don Lemon is breaking his silence after his arrest for his alleged involvement in a Minnesota church protest he was reporting on.
Earlier this week, Don Lemon was released from federal custody on his own recognizance. As he stood on the courthouse steps, the former CNN anchor thanked his supporters. “It really, it truly means the world to me,” he said. Lemon says he spent his “entire career covering the news,” and has no plans on slowing down. He continued: “I will not stop now. In fact, there is no more important time than right now.”
It’s being reported that Lemon’s arrest occurred while covering a Grammy Awards event. Lemon confirmed this was true, saying, “Last night, the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for something I’ve been doing for the last 30 years, which is covering the news,” Lemon said.
“I will not be silenced,” Lemon Says
He added, “The First Amendment protects that work for me and for countless other journalists. I stand with them, and I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.” Lemon’s former employer, CNN, also spoke out about his recent arrest, calling it “unacceptable.”
“The FBI’s arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment,” the statement reads. “The Department of Justice already failed twice to get an arrest warrant for Don and several other journalists in Minnesota, where a chief judge of the Minnesota Federal District Court found there was ’no evidence’ that there was any criminal behavior involved in their work.”
The statement continues: “The First Amendment in the United States protects journalists who bear witness to news and events as they unfold, ensuring they can report freely in the public interest, and the DOJ’s attempts to violate those rights is unacceptable,” the outlet continued. “We will be following this case closely.”
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