Don Lemon, an independent journalist who formerly worked for CNN, has pled not guilty to charges of violating federal civil rights protections when a protest interrupted a worship service in a Minnesota church in January, the Associated Press reports.
Lemon appeared in court Friday as one of five people arraigned in the case. He entered a not guilty plea.
He later issued a statement through his attorneys:
“The events before my arrest, and whats happened since, show that people are finally realizing what this Administration is all about. For them, the process is the punishment. Like all of you here in Minnesota, I will not be intimidated, I will not back down, and I will fight these baseless charges,” he said.
Lemon said he was covering the protest as an independent journalist when demonstrators confronted a pastor at Cities Church in St. Paul, whom they accused of being an immigration enforcement agent. The coverage drew backlash from conservatives, who accused him of participating in the protest.
In January, Lemon was arrested “in the middle of the night” by a team of federal agents while he was in Los Angeles to report on the Grammy Awards.
He was released on a personal recognizance bond. Speaking to the media immediately following his release, Lemon said, “I will not stop now, I will not stop ever.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
MORE FROM DON LEMON | Don Lemon believes DOJ will try to charge him, calls Nicki Minaj ‘racist’ in exclusive Scripps News interview