Former Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is sharply criticizing President Donald Trump’s administration following the arrest of journalist Don Lemon and other independent media figures tied to coverage of a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota earlier this month.
In a statement posted to social media, Harris accused the administration of eroding constitutional protections and intimidating members of the press.
“Today, Donald Trump and his administration are once again trampling on our rights and our freedoms. Journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were fulfilling their duty to the American people to report and inform, and they have been arrested for it,” Harris wrote. She added that the arrest reflects what she described as Trump’s “flagrant disregard for the rule of law.”
Lemon was arrested Thursday in Los Angeles on charges related to the demonstration, which he and his production team filmed at a St. Paul church where anti-ICE protesters disrupted a service. Demonstrators reportedly believed the church’s pastor had ties to immigration enforcement authorities. Lemon has maintained that he was not participating in the protest but documenting events as a journalist.
A federal magistrate initially declined to pursue charges, citing insufficient evidence that Lemon had engaged in criminal conduct. Press freedom advocates and several Democratic lawmakers have since argued that the arrest represents an escalation in what they view as the administration’s efforts to target critical media voices.
CNN, where Lemon worked for nearly two decades before his departure, called the arrest “unacceptable,” noting that prior judicial review in Minnesota found “no evidence” of criminal wrongdoing by Lemon or other journalists present that day.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House officials have defended the arrest, arguing that Lemon crossed the line from observer to participant in a protest that interfered with religious worship.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, you have the right to worship freely and safely,” Bondi said in a video statement. “If you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.”
The clash has intensified debate over the balance between press freedom, protest activity, and religious protections in an increasingly polarized political climate.
