In his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, former CNN and current independent journalist Don Lemon said he offered to turn himself in to federal agents prior to his arrest last week but his offer was ignored.
“I never heard back from them,” Lemon said, adding that his detention by about a dozen agents was more than “a waste of resources,” as Kimmel described it. “They want to embarrass you,” Lemon said. “They want to intimidate you. They want to instill fear.”
Watch the interview below.
Lemon was arrested Friday at a Beverly Hills hotel where he was stationed during his planned coverage of Sunday’s Grammy Awards. He was charged with violating the rights of worshippers at a St. Paul church on January 17 following his coverage of a protest inside the building. A pastor at the church is thought to be associated with the St. Paul field office of ICE.
In his first sit-down interview since the arrest, Lemon told Kimmel that the arresting officers at his hotel did not initially have a warrant for his arrest but that an FBI agent outside showed him an image of the warrant on a cell phone.
After the arrest, Lemon said, he was put in a holding room for 12 hours and was unaware that he himself had become national news. Lemon told Kimmel that he was not given the opportunity to make a phone call but that he attempted to contact his husband and his lawyer via his Apple Watch.
As for his conduct at the church, Lemon said, “I went there to chronicle and document and record. There is a difference between a protester and a journalist.” He also said that he has not been in touch with independent journalist Georgia Fort, who also faces charges stemming from her coverage at the same church protest.
Lemon’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 9 in Minneapolis.
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