For the first time on television, Don Lemon spoke out about his arrest following an anti-ICE protest he was covering on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’.

Full story below…

Lemon shared details of the incident during his appearance on the show Monday night (February 2). When asked how he was feeling, the journalist made it clear he refuses to let the situation break his spirit, while acknowledging the seriousness of the charges he’s facing.

“I don’t know… I’m not going to let them steal my joy, but this is very serious; these are federal, criminal charges.”

Though the case remains ongoing, the former CNN anchor said he wanted to clarify his role at the scene.

“What I will say is that I’m not a protestor. I went there as a journalist. I went there to chronicle, document and record what was happening. There is a difference between a protestor and a journalist.”

Lemon also told Jimmy Kimmel that he had offered multiple times to turn himself in for questioning prior to the arrest, but never received a response. He claimed that when officers arrested him, he was jostled, grabbed, placed in handcuffs, and escorted outside by roughly a dozen agents. He described the incident as a “waste” of resources and characterized it as an intimidation tactic.

“They want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear.”

The interview follows Lemon being freed after his dramatic arrest on January 30. He is due back in court on February 9.

Catch the full interview below:

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