Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in connection with his journalistic activities covering protests in Minnesota, his lawyer said Friday.
Lemon "was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards," his attorney, Abbe Lowell, in a statement.
"Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done," Lowell said.
Department of Justice officials had publicly vowed to bring charges against Lemon over his presence at a Jan. 18 protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Lemon, an independent reporter who hosts The Don Lemon Show on YouTube, has said he was reporting on the protest. A federal magistrate judge last week reportedly rejected a criminal complaint that was brought against him.
In Friday's statement, Lowell called Lemon's arrest an "unprecedented attack on the First Amendment" and a "transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration."
"Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court," Lowell said.Â
