Truth Wins Out sharply condemns the Trump Administration’s decision to pursue the arrest of veteran journalist Don Lemon. The targeting of Lemon — who lawfully engaged in journalistic coverage of a protest in a Minneapolis-area church — represents a brazen escalation in the Trump Administration’s ongoing campaign to weaponize the Justice Department and intimidate journalists who dare to hold power to account.
“We are witnessing the steady erosion of constitutional protections before our eyes,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “When a federal government prioritizes attacking journalists like Don Lemon over investigating officers who kill civilians, when it uses aggressive enforcement tactics to cow communities into submission, then we are no longer living in a democracy — we’re living in a Banana Republic.”
Besen continued: “The Trump Administration has crossed a line that should alarm every American. What happened to Don Lemon is not law enforcement — it is intimidation.”
The arrest occurred when Lemon was taken into custody in Los Angeles by federal agents for his presence at, and reporting on, a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protest was directed at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has become a flashpoint of national outcry following the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer and a series of related demonstrations. Federal authorities moved to arrest Lemon after a magistrate judge previously rejected prosecutors’ initial attempt to charge him due to insufficient evidence — a rejection that was later followed by renewed federal pursuit of the case.
Lemon’s attorney emphasized that “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” adding that the First Amendment exists to protect journalists “whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
This politically fraught prosecution follows a pattern of relentless pressure and vilification by President Trump and his allies — who have repeatedly singled out journalists at rallies, disparaged their reporting as “fake news,” and attempted to undermine independent media credibility. From public denunciations of reporters to pushing for lawsuits against major networks and papers, to staging compliant press events with loyalist MAGA mouthpieces, the Trump Administration’s hostility toward robust journalism has become normalized.
“Whether it’s singling journalists out at rallies so they can be jeered by the crowd, smearing their work as ‘fake news’, or packing press pools with MAGA toadies, this administration has mounted a sustained assault on the free press,” said Besen. “This arrest of Don Lemon isn’t an isolated incident; it’s part of a coordinated attempt to silence voices that fairly criticize the President and challenge his policies.”
Truth Wins Out calls for the abolition of ICE, an agency whose current deployment reflects a systemic threat to human rights, democracy, and civil liberties — far beyond the scope of its original mandate.
Truth Wins Out stands in solidarity with Lemon and with all journalists whose duty to inform the public is being undermined by politics masquerading as law enforcement. We reaffirm that the First Amendment — the bedrock of democratic society — must be upheld, respected, and defended against any attempt at political weaponization.
Truth Wins Out is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to advance liberty and democracy, protect the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities, combat religious extremism, and fight against the spread of disinformation.
