The Department of Justice announced arrests and investigations tied to the Jan. church incident in St. Paul, naming Don Lemon among those facing federal action and saying the probe will use civil rights statutes to address the storming of Cities Church.
The Justice Department has opened a probe into the group that forced its way into Cities Church in St. Paul and signaled it will arrest Don Lemon in connection with the incident. Federal officials say the investigation is moving quickly and will rely on existing civil rights laws to determine criminal liability. This marks a high-profile federal response to what many view as an attack on worshippers and a breakdown of public order.
According to reporting, federal prosecutors plan to bring charges under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act against Lemon. Those statutes are being cited because officials see the church storming as a coordinated effort to intimidate and interfere with the civil rights of private citizens. From a law-and-order perspective, the administration is treating the episode as more than a protest gone wrong; it’s a federal civil-rights matter that they say demands accountability.
Civil Rights Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon spoke bluntly about the tools the DOJ will deploy and why they matter. “The Klan Act is one of the most important federal civil rights statutes,” said Civil Rights Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon on The Benny Johnson Show. It’s a law that makes it illegal to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens. Whenever people conspire this, the Klan Act can be used.
Dhillon argued that Lemon’s actions went beyond reporting and into participation, a claim prosecutors will test in court. “Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen in that facility,” Dhillon continued. “He went into the facility, and then he began, quote-unquote, committing journalism, as if that is some sort of shield from being a part—an embedded part of a criminal conspiracy.” These are strong allegations, and the DOJ’s next steps will be watched closely by both critics and supporters of media accountability.
Dhillon added that the federal investigation will not stop with high-profile names and will target anyone who participated in the operation at Cities Church. Dhillon then confirmed that her office would begin launching investigations into those who took part in the storming of Cities Church after learning the pastor served as a local ICE official, and issued a warning for any would-be copycats. The message from the Justice Department is clear: coordinated intimidation aimed at targeting people for their affiliations or roles will draw federal attention.
Officials outside the civil-rights office echoed that point while criticizing local leadership for what they describe as an inadequate response. “Come next Sunday, nobody in the United States should think that they’re going to be able to get away with this,” Dhillon finished. “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 long time.” The rhetoric signals a tough stance that aligns with calls for decisive enforcement.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized state leaders for shrugging at the violence and emphasized the religious nature of the victims’ activity. “people [are] going to worship, and they are stormed by anti-law enforcement, anti-Christian rioters. Today, [Gov. Tim Walz] just throws his hands up and says ‘oh, I’ve always said you should peacefully protest. That is just completely made up.
President Trump has publicly backed pursuing serious prison terms for anyone found to have conspired in the church storming, underscoring the administration’s appetite for firm consequences. President Trump has come out in support of pursuing lengthy prison sentences for Lemon and his alleged co-conspirators.
