Former Columbus reporter 1 of 4 arrested, including ex-CNN journalist Don Lemon
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A former Columbus journalist is one of the four people arrested Friday that included former CNN journalist Don Lemon after a protest that disrupted a church service Jan. 18 in Minnesota, according to the Associated Press and a post from FBI Director Kash Patel.
Georgia Fort, known formerly as Georgia Elysse, live-streamed the moments before her arrest on Facebook Live, the AP reported. Fort was a multimedia journalist and weekend anchor for WTVM, a television reporter for the Columbus Consolidated Government and a radio personality for Davis Broadcasting, Inc. of Columbus, according to her LinkedIn profile.
“I don’t feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press because now the federal agents are at my door arresting me for filming the church protest a few weeks ago,” Fort said, according to the AP.
Fort is now the founder of BLCK Press and the co-founder and president of the Center for Broadcast Journalism, according to her LinkedIn.
A post on X from FBI Director Kash Patel says, “Early this morning, @FBI and @HSI_HQ partners arrested four individuals in connection to the January 18 coordinated targeting of Cities Church in Minnesota: Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy.”
About three dozen anti-immigration enforcement protesters entered Cities Church in St. Paul during Sunday Service, according to AP reporting.
The AP reported one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, leads the ICE field office in that area.
This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 1:41 PM.