Don Lemon thought covering an anti-ICE protest made him untouchable.
He was dead wrong about that.
And Don Lemon faces criminal conspiracy charges after one DOJ move that has him scrambling.
DOJ pursues FACE Act charges against church protesters
Former CNN host Don Lemon livestreamed what he called "journalism" Sunday when he followed anti-ICE protesters who stormed into a St. Paul, Minnesota church during worship services.
The mob interrupted the service at Cities Church, shouting "ICE out" and "Renee Good" while terrifying congregants including children.
One of the church's pastors, David Easterwood, is a senior ICE official in Minneapolis.
Lemon filmed the chaos and even kissed protest organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong on the cheek, raising questions about how impartial his "journalism" really was.
Now he's facing something he never expected.
Trump's Department of Justice announced it's pursuing federal charges against everyone who participated in the church invasion.
That includes Lemon.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that Lemon knew exactly what was going to happen inside that church.
"Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility," Dhillon explained. "He went into the facility, and then he began 'committing journalism,' as if that's sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part, of a criminal conspiracy. It isn't."
Dhillon made it crystal clear journalism won't protect him.
"I don't know what he is now, but journalism is not a badge or a shield that protects you from criminal consequences when you are part of a crime," Dhillon said.
Biden's FACE Act prosecutions now boomerang on leftists
Dhillon said the DOJ is looking at multiple federal charges including violations of the FACE Act and the century-old Ku Klux Klan Act.
The FACE Act – the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act – protects both abortion clinics and houses of worship from obstruction.
Biden's DOJ weaponized that law to throw peaceful pro-life protesters in prison for praying outside abortion clinics.
FBI SWAT teams raided the homes of elderly grandmothers at dawn for standing outside abortion facilities.
Trump pardoned 23 pro-life activists who were prosecuted under the FACE Act during Biden's term.
Now that same law is coming back to haunt the Left.
The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to obstruct anyone "lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom."
Lemon and the protesters did exactly that when they barged into the church and started screaming while families were trying to worship.
Ku Klux Klan Act conspiracy charges could send Lemon to prison
The Ku Klux Klan Act is even more serious.
Congress passed it in 1871 to combat the Ku Klux Klan's terrorism against freed slaves during Reconstruction.
The law makes it a federal crime to conspire to violate someone's civil rights.
Biden's DOJ loved using the Klan Act against pro-life protesters.
They stacked conspiracy charges on top of FACE Act violations to turn misdemeanors into felonies carrying up to 11 years in prison.
Dhillon said the same playbook is on the table for the church protesters.
"In other cases, the Biden DOJ used the Klan Act conspiracy charges tacked onto the FACE Act in the case of protests outside abortion clinics to bring much longer sentences," Dhillon explained.
Federal prosecutors from Dhillon's office flew to Minnesota Monday night to start building the case.
The FBI is already gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses.
Dhillon made it clear this isn't just talk.
"Come next Sunday, nobody should think in the United States that they're going to be able to get away with this," Dhillon warned. "Everyone in the protest community needs to know that the fullest force of the federal government is going to come down and prevent this from happening and put people away for a long, long time."
Lemon tried defending himself by claiming he was just doing journalism.
But Dhillon shut that down.
Caleb Phillips, a Cities Church parishioner, told TMZ the protest scared congregants including children.
He said Lemon should be ashamed for ambushing the lead pastor with an interview while people were fleeing in terror.
The hypocrisy is stunning.
For four years, Biden's DOJ prosecuted Christians for peacefully praying outside abortion clinics while ignoring over 436 attacks on churches and pregnancy centers in 2024 alone.
Now those same laws are being used against the Left for actually committing violence and intimidation inside a house of worship.
Lemon keeps saying he was just covering a protest.
But the evidence tells a different story – he knew what was going to happen, he participated in it, and now he's going to face the consequences.
Sources:
- Eric Lee, "Christian pastors condemn anti-ICE protesters storming church," Fox News, January 19, 2026.
- Tom Winter and Megan Lebowitz, "DOJ civil rights chief blasts Don Lemon for covering anti-ICE protest inside church, vows charges against protesters," NBC News, January 20, 2026.
- Matt Walsh, "It's Time: We Need To Start Arresting Liberal Lunatics Like Don Lemon — Now," The Daily Wire, January 19, 2026.
- Jamie Joseph, "Biden DOJ weaponized FACE Act to imprison pro-life activists, attorney tells House: 'Systematic campaign'," Fox News, February 26, 2025.
- "Looking back at the Ku Klux Klan Act," National Constitution Center, April 20, 2024.