Don Lemon Infiltrated a Church: The Civil Rights Violations

Former CNN anchor (now, independent journalist) Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles January 29, 2026. This was as a result of a federal grand jury indictment related to his involvement in a protest inside a Minnesota church earlier this month. The indictment accuses Lemon and several others of disrupting a Sunday religious service by coordinating a protest inside the church.

Protesters, including Lemon, entered the building during Sunday Mass to decry federal immigration policies. Some on site reported Lemon was not merely observing but actively participated by live-streaming the disruption, chanting slogans, and confronting congregants and clergy. The protest targeted that church specifically because its pastor has ties to ICE through his family members. Demonstrators stormed the sanctuary, halting the service, shouting accusations of complicity in ICE deportations, displaying banners and would not let the parishioners leave.

Lemon, who has positioned himself as an advocate for social justice since leaving CNN in 2023, defended his role at the protest as journalistic coverage, but federal officials have argued his actions crossed into interference. The church disruption lasted approximately 20 minutes, distressing worshippers, forcing an early end to the service. Lemon later posted about the event on social media, framing it as exposing their hypocrisy; his self-documentation posts provided key evidence for the federal charges and ultimately, his indictment.

But what is an “indictment,” since it was a grand jury which convened to determine sufficient evidence to charge Lemon with federal crimes? It was not Trump, Bondi, or the Department of Justice alone, that indicted Lemon. Grand juries, numbering between 16 to 23 citizens (typically 23 in federal districts like Minnesota), serve as an independent check on prosecutorial power. They review evidence in secret and require at least 12 votes to indict, ensuring no single authority can weaponize charges. In this case, federal prosecutors presented evidence to the grand jury, which then found probable cause based on video evidence, witness statements, and Mr. Lemon’s own admissions.

The story of Don Lemon

– He storms a Minnesota church with ICE rioters telling the preacher the have the right
– He celebrates children fleeing out the back, bragging they’re ‘uncomfortable’
– Assistant AG says she’ll arrest him for this
– AG Pam Bondi announces he’s arrested pic.twitter.com/82znZxPI7t

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 30, 2026

This process refutes claims of unilateral “abuse;” grand juries have historically blocked politically motivated cases. Labeling it lawless ignores that the judiciary encouraged the grand jury route, underscoring the system’s safeguards. If the evidence presented were weak, the grand jury could have refused to indict, but it did not.

The indictment charges Lemon with two primary federal offenses. For fans of the legal process, here’s the unsealed indictment:

First, conspiracy to deprive rights under 18 U.S.C. § 241, often referred to as the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. This law prohibits two or more people from conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate anyone in the free exercise of constitutional rights. Prosecutors allege Lemon and his several co-defendants conspired to interfere with the congregants’ First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion in a church service.

Second, Lemon et al violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, 18 U.S.C. § 248, which, while originally aimed at protecting reproductive health clinics, actually extends to places of worship. It criminalizes the use of force, threats, or physical obstruction to interfere with religious services.

These charges carry potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison per count, emphasizing the federal government’s view that the Church protest constituted a targeted assault on civil liberties rather than protestors’ protected speech.

Lemon’s actions deserved indictment. His actions went far beyond journalism into coordination and active participation in a coercive act that violated others’ rights.

Of course, pushback against the Lemon’s indictment has been fierce, particularly from media figures and Democrats, who claim it is a politically motivated attack on press freedom by the Trump administration. Some call it an abuse of power, arguing that Attorney General Pam Bondi acted at Trump’s behest to silence dissent. Organizations decry it as intimidation, suggesting journalists will self-censor out of fear. Some frame Lemon’s arrest as retaliation for his critical coverage of Trump. But we know better; the indictment was undertaken by an independent grand jury.

Lemon and his co-conspiring participants deserve to be held accountable for their actions. This should send a message across America that reckless storming of establishments, confrontations and instilling fear should not be tolerated further.