Don Lemon is pushing back after a top Justice Department official accused him of crossing a legal line while covering a protest that interrupted a church service in Minneapolis.
On Sunday, Jan. 18, the independent journalist posted video from Cities Church, where demonstrators disrupted worship in protest of David Easterwood — a pastor who is also a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
“This is what the First Amendment is about, the freedom to protest,” Lemon, 59, said in the footage. “I’m sure people here don’t like it, but protests are not comfortable.”
The clip quickly spread online, and critics claimed Lemon had instigated or helped organize the disruption.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon addressed Lemon’s presence in a post on X, writing, “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. You are on notice!”
Dhillon, 57, later appeared on The Benny Johnson Show on Monday, Jan. 19, where she said prosecutors could rely on multiple federal laws against Lemon and others involved.
She referenced the FACE Act, which she described as protecting against attacks or intimidation targeting people “lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”
She also cited the Ku Klux Klan Act — also known as the Enforcement Act of 1871 — which criminalizes denying an individual or group “any of the rights, privileges, or immunities, or protection, named in the Constitution.” The law was enacted in response to post-Civil War violence and, as Dhillon described it, gives the president broad authority to enforce it.
“The Klan Act is one of the most important federal civil rights statutes. Its a law that makes it illegal to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens,” Dhillon said. “Whenever people conspire, this, the Klan Act can be used.”
“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 time,” she added.
Lemon: “I Was Covering a Protest — Not Leading It”
Lemon responded in a statement to Fox News Digital, rejecting the idea that he was responsible for what happened inside the church.
“It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist — especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling,” he said.
He also said he has faced harassment and threats online following the backlash.
“What’s even more telling is the barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs, directed at me online by MAGA supporters and amplified by parts of the right-wing press,” Lemon continued.
“If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it would be far better used investigating the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good— the very issue that brought people into the streets in the first place, I stand by my reporting.”
More Blowback, Including From Nicki Minaj
Lemon’s church–protest coverage also drew criticism from Nicki Minaj, who posted an all-caps message on X attacking him and calling for him to be jailed, alongside an image of a Chucky doll.
Lemon — who is openly gay and married longtime partner Tim Malone in 2024 — later responded in a statement to TMZ, saying, “I’m not surprised Nicki Minaj does not understand journalism and is weighing in on matters that are above her capacity. However, the more appropriate image for her post is a ‘Pick Me’ Doll.”
