Don Lemon Recounts Arrest Details and Criticizes Authorities in Jimmy Kimmel Interview
In a lengthy interview on Monday night, former CNN anchor Don Lemon provided a detailed account of the events leading up to and following his recent arrest in Los Angeles. The incident occurred while Lemon was covering the Grammy Awards, and he has been accused of conspiracy and hampering the First Amendment rights of worshippers. These charges stem from his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, last month. Lemon firmly denies the allegations, asserting that he was acting in his capacity as a journalist.
Legal Cooperation and Alleged Political Motivations
Lemon revealed that he had retained an attorney and offered to cooperate with authorities well before his arrest. He recounted his attorney's advice, stating, "If you are serious about this, let's do it the right way. He's perfectly willing to self-report, which means turn yourself in. We don't have to go through this whole rigmarole." However, Lemon claimed that his legal representative never received a response from the authorities.
He contrasted his treatment with that of former President Donald Trump, noting, "People who are accused of much worse things than I am accused of doing, they are allowed the courtesy." Lemon suggested that Trump-aligned figures have increasingly hyped his reporting as criminal, implying political motivations behind the arrest.
The Night of the Arrest: A Dramatic Encounter
Lemon described the night of his arrest, which occurred after he returned from a Spotify party. He was waiting for an elevator at his hotel when, "all of a sudden I feel myself being jostled and people trying to grab me and put me in handcuffs." When he asked what was happening, the individuals identified themselves and stated they had come to arrest him.
Lemon questioned the lack of a warrant, leading to a delay as an FBI agent had to show him a warrant on a cell phone. He recalled, "I dropped all my stuff, my glasses had fallen on the floor. I was like, 'I can't read that [the warrant].' They had to pick my glasses up, and I read it. Still, what does that mean?" He estimated that around a dozen people were involved in the arrest, calling it "a waste of resources" given his prior offers to cooperate.
Allegations of Intimidation and Harsh Treatment
Lemon argued that the manner of his arrest was intended to embarrass and instill fear. He said, "They want that, they want to embarrass you. They want to instill fear. And so that's why they did it that way." Following the arrest, Lemon was held in a holding room from midnight until approximately 1 p.m. the next day.
During this time, he claimed he was denied his one phone call and told, "You get to talk to your attorney whenever the court says you can." Despite wearing his Apple Watch, attempts to call his husband and attorney went to voicemail. Eventually, while handcuffed in an FBI agent's truck, agents offered to remove his diamond wedding bracelet because it was causing discomfort.
Lemon asked if the bracelet could be taken to his husband's hotel room, and one FBI agent agreed. He noted, "And that's how my husband found out. Otherwise, no one would have known where I was." This moment highlighted the lack of communication and transparency during his detention.
The interview sheds light on Lemon's perspective on the legal proceedings and raises questions about the treatment of journalists in high-profile cases.
