Don Lemon Charged With Federal Civil Rights Crimes Over Minnesota Church Protest

Lemon’s lawyer Abbe Lowell described the arrest as an ‘unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.’

Journalist Don Lemon departs federal court in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2026. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Former CNN journalist turned YouTuber Don Lemon was released from custody on Jan. 30 after being arrested and charged with federal civil rights crimes in connection with a livestreamed protest inside a Minnesota church on Jan. 18, according to his attorney.

Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement provided to media outlets that Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents on the night of Jan. 29 in Los Angeles. The former CNN anchor and others involved in the protest inside the church were indicted on charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Robbins wanted a $100,000 bond for Lemon, arguing before the judge that the former news anchor “knowingly joined a mob that stormed into a church.”

Lemon was ultimately released without having to post any bond. The judge also granted him permission to travel to France in June as the case is pending.

“The [Justice Department] sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for something I’ve been doing for the last 30 years—and that is covering the news,” Lemon said at a news conference after his release.

“I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.”

Lowell described the arrest as an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” and said Lemon “will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

Lowell and the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Church Protest Under Federal Investigation

The arrest stems from a Jan. 18 protest that disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Video footage circulating online appeared to show demonstrators entering the church during the service while chanting slogans, including “Justice for Renee Good.”

The protest followed claims that one of the church’s pastors was serving as the acting field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota.

Federal officials have said they are investigating possible violations related to the incident.

Protesters disrupt services at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 18, 2026, in this still from video. Speak MLPS via AP/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a Jan. 18 post on X that a house of worship is not a public forum for protest.

“It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!” Dhillon wrote.

She said that protesters were “on notice.” In subsequent posts, Dhillon said the FBI had been activated and that federal authorities were examining other potential crimes.

In later interviews, Dhillon said prosecutors were considering whether to use provisions of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which prohibits conspiracies to deprive individuals of constitutional rights, as well as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994, which also applies to interference with religious worship.

“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,” Dhillon said in a Jan. 19 interview with conservative influencer Benny Johnson.

Dhillon also referenced Lemon directly, disputing claims that his actions were shielded by journalism.

“As if that’s sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part, of a criminal conspiracy,“ she said. ”It isn’t.”

Lemon Disputes Characterization

In a statement provided to media outlets at the time, Lemon said he was being singled out despite other journalists being present.

“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,” Lemon said earlier in January. “That framing is telling.”

In a Jan. 19 podcast interview with IHIP News, Lemon said he did not know that protesters intended to enter a church.

“They ended up at a church,” Lemon said. “I didn’t even know they were going to a church. ... Other journalists started going in, and I went in.”

During his livestream, Lemon spoke with the church’s lead pastor, Jonathan Parnell, as protesters gathered inside. Parnell said that he repeatedly asked demonstrators to leave and that they refused.

Lemon cited First Amendment protections for speech and assembly, while Parnell responded that his priority was protecting the congregation and his family.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said she ordered a federal investigation into the incident after speaking with the church’s pastor.

“Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law,” Bondi said in a Jan. 19 post on X.

On Jan. 22, federal agents arrested several suspects who allegedly organized the church protest.

The Associated Press and Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.