Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is at the center of a legal and political firestorm after attending and filming a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, prompting scrutiny from senior Justice Department officials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal officials are reviewing Lemon’s involvement in the incident, which occurred during an anti-ICE protest that left congregants shaken. Protesters entered Cities Church during a service aimed at a pastor they believed had ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said Lemon was “on notice” and warned publicly that the department was examining whether any federal statutes were violated, including laws that protect houses of worship from interference. Dhillon also referenced potential civil rights violations under statutes such as the Ku Klux Klan Act and the federal FACE Act.
In an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, Dhillon argued that media status does not automatically shield a person from criminal exposure if they knowingly participate in or assist unlawful conduct.
“The Klan Act is one of the most important federal civil rights statutes,” Dhillon said. “It’s a law that makes it illegal to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens.”
She added that federal authorities intend to use “the fullest force of the federal government” to prevent future disruptions and prosecute violations.
As the conservative blog Zero Hedge reports:
“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service,” Harmeet Dhillon, the DoJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote on X.
“You [Lemon] are on notice!” Dhillon wrote. In a separate post, she said that the FBI has been “activated” and accused the left-wing mob of “desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”
She also said, “The DoJ’s Civil Rights division is investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”
Dozens of left-wing activists, some potentially paid agitators and others who admitted they were from out of town, stormed the Cities Church sanctuary on Sunday after believing that one of the pastors was the acting director of ICE’s St. Paul field office.
Lemon has denied wrongdoing, saying he was engaged in legitimate newsgathering protected by the First Amendment. He rejected claims that he helped organize the protest and told Fox News Digital that documenting events does not amount to participation in them.
What is the Ku Klux Klan Act?
The Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 was enacted during Reconstruction to combat violence and intimidation used to suppress the rights of newly freed Black Americans. While the law’s name reflects its origins, modern legal debates often focus on provisions used in civil rights enforcement, including lawsuits alleging constitutional violations.
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LEMON needs to face the law now.