Potential Legal Action Against Don Lemon
On Monday, Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, suggested that federal charges under the Ku Klux Klan Act might be considered against former CNN host Don Lemon and others involved in a protest at a Minnesota church. This protest was captured on video by Lemon.
The Justice Department is looking into whether the demonstration on Sunday, which was anti-deportation in nature, violated several civil rights laws—particularly regarding the disruption of church services. In an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson, Dillon noted that Lemon claimed he was merely “performing a journalistic act” by reporting on the situation inside the church. However, Dillon argued that Lemon might have foreseen the protesters’ intentions and could thus be implicated in criminal activity.
Dillon elaborated that certain laws could have been breached, including the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), which forbids disturbances to places of worship, and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1987, which criminalizes conspiracies that infringe on individual civil rights.
Lemon’s media team has not responded to requests for comments regarding the situation. During a live stream of the protest, he was seen deliberating with his team about whether to enter the church, expressing concerns about being recognized. “If they see me, they’ll know,” he said while waiting outside.
He admitted he was still figuring out the best course of action and whether it was advisable to go inside. Lemon alluded to the group’s provocative tactics in a pre-arrival stream but refrained from providing specifics to avoid giving away their strategy.
The protest group addressed the audience, reminding them that similar demonstrations had occurred previously in the wake of tragic events involving George Floyd and Dante Wright. They stressed their commitment to holding people accountable, stating, “These operations are surprise operations. Again, we can’t tell you where they’re going and where we’re gathering now.”
Video footage shows Lemon entering the church, microphone in hand. During this time, church leaders were addressing their congregation before protesters began chanting at a pastor they accused of cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting congregants to leave.
“The activists are in the church, surrounding the inside and protesting,” Lemon narrated. Following this, he and his crew conducted interviews as church officials asked everyone to vacate the premises.
After the protest, Lemon remarked on a livestream, “What I said was going to happen actually happened. We couldn’t tell you what it was.”
