type: timeline_event
On January 30, 2026, the FBI arrested journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort on federal civil rights conspiracy charges related to their coverage of a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly announced she personally directed the arrests, marking an unprecedented assault on press freedom in the United States.
Don Lemon, former CNN anchor, was arrested by FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents in Beverly Hills at approximately midnight. Georgia Fort, an award-winning three-time Emmy winner who co-founded the Center for Broadcast Journalism, was arrested by federal agents at her Minneapolis home in the early hours. Both journalists livestreamed the church protest while explicitly identifying themselves as journalists documenting a newsworthy event, not as participants.
The nine-count federal indictment charged them with conspiracy to violate constitutional rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Prosecutors alleged they "oppressed, threatened, and intimidated" congregants and "physically obstructed" people trying to leave the church—claims contradicted by available video evidence showing journalistic activity.
Critically, a federal magistrate judge had previously declined to approve Lemon's arrest, citing a lack of evidence. The chief federal appeals court judge in Minnesota rejected a prosecutor's appeal, writing there was "no evidence" of any criminal behavior in Lemon's work. The government proceeded with arrests anyway, demonstrating willingness to override judicial findings.
Press freedom organizations universally condemned the arrests. Seth Stern of Freedom of the Press Foundation stated: "These arrests under bogus legal theories for obviously constitutionally protected reporting are clear warning shots aimed at other journalists." The National Association of Black Journalists said it was "outraged and deeply alarmed" by what it described as the government's effort to "criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement."
Gabe Rottman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press noted this is the first time the Justice Department has used the cited federal statutes—including the post-Civil War Conspiracy Against Rights law enacted to curb KKK violence—to prosecute journalistic activity. Both journalists vowed to fight the charges, with Lemon stating: "I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court."