Don Lemon Arrested: Trump Administration Escalates War on Freedom in America

WASHINGTON - Over the past 24 hours, Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents for doing his job: reporting on peaceful protestors in a Minneapolis church. Pam Bondi also announced she arrested three others, including Georgia Fort, another journalist who has been documenting the administration's actions in Minneapolis. The arrests are a breathtaking escalation of the Trump Administration's all-out assault on the US Constitution, including conducting unconstitutional searches of people's homes, attacking voting rights, weaponizing the FCC against free speech, and targeting the rights and health of LGBTQ+ people at every turn.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson issued the following statement:

"Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of a free society; it is the tool by which Americans access the truth and hold power to account. But Donald Trump and Pam Bondi are at war with that freedom - and are threatening the fundamentals of our democracy. Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were doing their jobs as reporters. Arresting them is not law enforcement - it is an attack on the Constitution at a moment when truthful reporting on government power has never been more important. These are the actions of a despot, the tactics of a dictator in an authoritarian regime.

We also reject attempts to dismiss the significance of who these journalists are: Black journalists, one of whom is queer, whose voices amplify perspectives too often excluded from mainstream discourse. This moment should serve as a wake-up call to every American who cares about civil liberties: when journalists can be detained for covering protests, none of us are safe. None of us are free. We will not sit by and allow a wannabe-tyrant to demolish our democracy."

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 3.6 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action-working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.

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