Stephen A Smith defends Don Lemon, says arrest violates First Amendment

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene justified former CNN host Don Lemon's arrest on Friday after he joined anti-ICE agitators in a Minnesota church.

Stephen A. Smith came to the defense of fellow journalist Don Lemon, who was arrested this week.

Lemon was charged in Los Angeles Friday afternoon on allegations of conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights and alleged FACE Act violations.

Lemon’s arrest comes more than a week after he joined a group of anti-ICE protesters who interrupted a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official serves as a pastor. 

The group of protesters chanted "ICE out," interrupting the service, according to video footage.

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Stephen A. Smith and Don Lemon  (Getty Images)

Lemon, an independent journalist, said he had been attending the demonstration as a reporter, not as a protester. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Lemon remarked, "I’m just here photographing, I’m not part of the group. … I’m a journalist."

The ESPN host said since Lemon was there as a member of the press, his arrest violates the First Amendment.

"Whether you like it or not, Don Lemon is a member of the press. Don Lemon has been in journalism for 30 years. Don Lemon worked at CNN for 17 years. And just because you don’t have a specific organization that you’re working for, that’s where the word independence comes from. It doesn’t mean that your journalism credentials are stripped," Smith said. "Not when you’ve been doing it for decades like him. 

Don Lemon livestreamed left-wing agitators who stormed St. Paul's Cities Church under the suspicion that its pastor had collaborated with U.S.