DOJ Investigates Don Lemon Following Church Protest

The Department of Justice has officially alerted journalist Don Lemon regarding his role in the disruption of a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The investigation is looking into Lemon’s involvement, alongside activists who interrupted the service.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated that the Civil Rights Division is examining whether Lemon’s presence and his apparent foreknowledge of the incident may have breached the federal FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act.

Lemon maintains that he was merely performing his duties as a journalist, but officials have raised concerns that his actions may have crossed into criminal territory, infringing upon the civil rights of the churchgoers.

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is protected from acts like this by federal law! The First Amendment does not permit you to disrupt a prayer service in the name of journalism,” Dhillon asserted.

The DOJ is now reviewing the incident under the FACE Act, a law increasingly utilized to safeguard religious sites. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed this sentiment, promising that acts of intimidation against Christians will be confronted with full federal enforcement.

On Sunday, a group of around 30 to 40 protesters, partly led by former Minneapolis NAACP president Nekima Levy Armstrong, stormed into the church during the service. This group, connected to leftist protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shouted slogans including “ICE out!” and “Justice for Renee Good!”. Armstrong later referred to the federal investigation as a “sham,” claiming it serves to distract from ICE’s actions.

The protest primarily targeted Pastor David Easterwood, alleged to be the acting director of ICE’s St. Paul Field Office. While Easterwood is affiliated with Cities Church, questions still linger over his exact position within ICE. Reports from the Associated Press and CBS News have identified him as holding that role.

Lemon, who streamed the confrontation live, defended his actions as being protected by the First Amendment, framing the backlash as an attempt to intimidate him and reasserting that the “freedom to protest” is fundamental in American society.

Following the incident, he suggested that some criticism he received may stem from a sense of entitlement associated with “White supremacy.” Dhillon, however, replied that religious spaces should not be treated as venues for protest.

Lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell condemned the disruption, stating that congregants gathered solely to “worship Jesus,” describing the experience as “terrifying” for those present, especially children.

Despite defending his actions, Lemon appeared to admit that he had prior knowledge of the planned protest and was embedded with anti-ICE activists in the lead-up to the church incident. In a livestream from a parking lot, he referred to “reconnaissance” efforts in connection with the protest dubbed “Operation Pull-Up,” detailing plans made by activist groups.

“These are resistance protesters. They’re planning an operation we’re going to follow. I can’t disclose what they’re doing, but it’s called ‘Operation Pull-Up,’” Lemon stated, indicating he was in contact with the protest’s leadership.

In light of Dhillon’s warnings, Lemon has tried to distance himself from the disruption he streamed, emphasizing in a TikTok post that he has “no affiliation” with the activists and was just documenting events.

“I had no affiliations with that organization. I didn’t even know they were going to this church until we followed them. We were there chronicling protests,” he claimed. “Once the protest started in the church, we were performing an act of journalism, reporting and interacting with various attendees,” he elaborated.

This situation unfolds against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the Twin Cities, following the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good at the hands of an ICE agent. Reports indicate that, during an enforcement action, Good allegedly resisted and threatened ICE officers, an event described by DHS leaders as domestic terrorism.

The incident at Cities Church is indicative of a broader shift, as leftist activists increasingly target local entities and individuals linked to immigration enforcement, moving from policy-focused protests towards more aggressive confrontations.