Democrats criticized the Justice Department for “weaponizing” the federal government after former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested Thursday night during an anti-immigration enforcement protest in a Minnesota church.
Lemon, who was arrested alongside three other people, maintains that he was there in an official capacity as an independent journalist and had no connection with the group.
“Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly through court,” Lemon’s attorney Abbe Lowell said on X.
While Lemon hasn’t yet called out the Justice Department, many Democrats and news organizations have come to his defense.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said on X that “Putin would be proud,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on X that Lemon is protected by the First Amendment.
“There is zero basis to arrest him and he should be freed immediately,” Jeffries wrote. “The Trump Justice Department is illegitimate and these extremists will all be held accountable for their crimes against the Constitution.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who has been critical of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Minnesota, said the arrest is “unacceptable.”
“The arrests of Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lundy are unacceptable and a clear violation of the Constitution,” she wrote on X, also referring to another journalist and Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party activist who were taken into custody. “This is a dangerous abuse of power that threatens the rights of every single American.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who is running for Senate, said “are you F-ing KIDDING ME?!” in a post on X. Crockett released an official statement later, calling the arrest “censorship” and labeling it a “constitutional crisis.”
“This administration has declared open war on the First Amendment,” Crokett said. “We have seen journalists surveilled, their homes searched, and their access to government agencies deliberately limited for refusing to serve as state propaganda. … This is what authoritarianism looks like.”
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Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) said on X, “I’m confident Don will prevail, but make no mistake: the First Amendment is under its greatest threat since our founding.”
Lemon’s arrest comes after the FBI executed a search warrant at Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home on Jan. 14, as part of an investigation into a government contractor allegedly retaining classified documents illegally.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) characterized the arrest as an “assault” on the “free press.”
“After raiding the house of a Washington Post reporter, the Trump administration has now arrested an independent journalist, Don Lemon, for doing his job,” he said on X. “This authoritarian assault on the free press and the first amendment is outrageous and cannot be allowed to stand.”
Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) argued Lemon’s work as a journalist is protected under the First Amendment.
“His arrest is another chilling example of the Trump administration weaponizing the federal government against its critics,” Bera said on X.
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) argued Lemon was arrested for “doing his job.”
“A journalist was arrested by Trump’s DOJ for doing his job,” she said on X. “This is a blatant attack on our First Amendment.”
Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) called Lemon’s arrest “chilling, outrageous, and wrong.”
“Don Lemon’s work is protected by the First Amendment,” she said on X. “He should be released immediately. Trump DOJ is completely out of control.”
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Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the Democratic ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, called for Lemon to be released “immediately,” saying his arrest is an “assault” on the First Amendment.
“Time and again, the Trump Administration pursues its own political enemies over real justice,” Garcia said on X. “This is an attack on free press, and EVERY American must push back on this dangerous, horrific, and authoritarian act.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said on X, “Arresting a journalist is a blatant attempt to intimidate and a further indicator of Trump’s authoritarianism. It goes against the most fundamental American values outlined in the First Amendment.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) criticized the administration for arresting Lemon but pardoning Jan. 6 protesters.
“Under the Trump Administration, journalists can be arrested for covering a protest but rioters who broke into the U.S. Capitol get full pardons,” she said on X.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen took issue with Lemon’s arrest coming after Trump sent Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to oversee an FBI raid on an election facility in Fulton County, Georgia.
“Arresting journalists doing their jobs, sending the DNI to raid election offices in GA, unleashing fed agents that kill Americans & then cover it up,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on X. “Trump’s authoritarian takeover is quickening. We must respond like the people of Minneapolis —peacefully but with fierce urgency.
CNN, Lemon’s former workplace, said his arrest raises “profoundly concerning questions” about press freedom and the First Amendment.
“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,” CNN said in a statement on X.
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The National Association of Black Journalists called Lemon’s arrest “deeply concerning.”
“NABJ is outraged and deeply alarmed by the arrest of veteran journalist Don Lemon by federal agents in Los Angeles while he was working, and by the government’s escalating effort and actions to criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement,” the organization said in a statement on X.
