CNN host John Berman speaks with former CNNer Alisyn Camerota about her recent interview with Dion Lemon — the former CNN host arrested for participating in “storming” a church as part of a protest against ICE. “It doesn’t matter if there’s no law to fit. They will try to fit or retrofit something, or go around a judge and just do it themselves,” Lemon told her last week, predicting his arrest.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN: The breaking news is this: former CNN anchor Don Lemon-now an independent journalist-has been taken into custody and is apparently behind bars overnight. This was in connection with his presence, he says, “covering” a protest inside a church in Minnesota last week. A federal magistrate judge had initially refused to allow federal officials to arrest Don Lemon or take him into custody. But clearly, authorities have now found another judge to sign off on it. In a statement overnight, his attorney, Abbe Lowell, says Don is in federal custody and that they will fight these charges. After Don was at that church filming the protests there, many people were saying that he should be arrested for his presence. The magistrate judge initially said no-that could not happen. He later sat down and spoke with my friend Alisyn Camerota, now a special events anchor at Scripps News. Alisyn, of course, was a great CNN anchor on New Day and other shows here. Alisyn is with us now, always great to speak with you. You spoke extensively with Don about what was going on. He basically told you he saw this coming-he saw this arrest coming. Tell us about that. ALISYN CAMEROTA: John, I talked to him exactly a week ago. We sat down for more than an hour, and he felt this was not over. He felt that even though this federal magistrate judge had basically thrown the DOJ’s proposal out of court-that Don should be charged with anything or arrested-he felt he was protected by the First Amendment. Don felt that it wasn’t over because he had seen what happens with other perceived Trump administration adversaries, such as James Comey. You could go down the list. So Don had reason to believe that he was still being harassed, for lack of a better word, by the DOJ-that there were still things buzzing in the air. So this morning, we wake up to this news, and it’s really concerning on so many levels. BERMAN: Alisyn, we were just able to pull some sound from the interview you did with Don. Let’s listen to that. DON LEMON: No, look, I’m not naive. I think they’re probably going to try again and again, as they did with Tish and Comey and everyone. If one doesn’t work, they try something else, and if that fails, they try something else. They just don’t give up because they want to save face. But I don’t know what’s next. I think what’s next is that I have to be in it for the long haul and just be strong, as always-keep calm and carry on. CAMEROTA: Because the federal magistrate judge said they didn’t have a case-basically, the judge said the Department of Justice didn’t have a case-but you think it’s not over? DON LEMON: No, I think it’s not over because it doesn’t matter if there’s no law to fit. They will try to fit or retrofit something, or go around a judge and just do it themselves. BERMAN: And Alisyn, that’s just part of the conversation you had with Don. People should listen to the full interview-it’s especially interesting now, given that he’s in custody. What did he tell you about what he was doing or covering at this church? CAMEROTA: He said he was covering a protest at a St. Paul church. Protesters believed that the pastor there was an ICE agent. Don described it as him doing what we do-covering a protest. He said he wasn’t conspiring with them. He didn’t know their plans beforehand, which is one of the things the DOJ has suggested. He said he stayed outside. When the protesters went inside the church and he realized the protest was unfolding there, he went inside as well. Obviously, legal experts can weigh in on whether that’s trespassing on private property. But either way, that would be a misdemeanor. The idea that Don Lemon, as a journalist, has now been arrested is in an entirely different category. CNN ANCHOR: We’re going to talk to a legal expert in just a moment. But one last question, Alisyn-because you’re one of my favorite journalists-what message do you think this sends to journalists, both at major organizations and independent journalists? ALISYN CAMEROTA: I think it’s what Don said: that the DOJ will try to intimidate journalists and won’t stop even after a judge says they don’t have a case. But Don was resolute. As you heard in that soundbite, he said, Keep calm and carry on. He wasn’t feeling cowed. He had his eyes wide open. He didn’t believe this was over a week ago-and it turns out it wasn’t. That’s a message for journalists: we have to keep doing our jobs.

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