Staff Reports
The Department of Justice has announced it will pursue federal action over the shocking takeover of a Minneapolis-area church service, and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon explicitly named that federal prosecutors are examining the role of former CNN anchor Don Lemon. Dhillon said the Civil Rights Division has deployed resources and is treating the matter with the highest level of attention, signaling that this is not a routine probe but a sério effort to defend worshippers’ rights.
Video and social posts from the scene show Lemon not merely observing but circulating among activists and congregants in a way that raises real questions about whether he was covering the event or actively participating in it. Federal teams, including the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, were reported to be sent to Minnesota to gather evidence, underscoring how seriously the DOJ views possible violations of federal protections for places of worship.
Lemon’s public response — insisting he was “committing journalism” and complaining of online threats — won’t wash for many Americans who watched the footage and saw a celebrity reporter cozying up to a mob that disrupted Sunday worship. As Dhillon bluntly put it, journalism is not a badge or a shield from criminal consequences when someone is part of a potentially criminal conspiracy, a reality some in the media need to learn the hard way.
This episode is about more than one man’s ego or one outlet’s ratings chase; it is about religious liberty and the basic rule of law. When local officials are accused of looking the other way, it is right for the federal government to step in and protect citizens’ rights to worship without intimidation, and the DOJ’s mention of using tools like the FACE Act and even enhancements under the Ku Klux Klan Act shows they are taking every legal avenue seriously.
Americans who value faith, order, and accountability should demand that the law apply equally to media elites and activists as it does to everyone else. If the evidence shows organized intimidation of worshippers, those responsible — regardless of celebrity status — must face the consequences so that no one believes they can weaponize journalism to trample on other citizens’ rights. The coming weeks will tell whether justice is done, and patriots should be watching closely and calling for transparency and equal enforcement.
