U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed Friday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will continue efforts to pursue criminal charges against individuals involved in a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, including the possibility of charges against former CNN host Don Lemon.
Bondi made the remarks during an appearance on Fox News, saying federal prosecutors are committed to enforcing laws protecting worshippers and places of worship. “If you protested and went into that church on Sunday, and you terrorized the parishioners, we are coming after you,” she said, adding that no individual is “above the law.”
“If you protested and went into that church on Sunday, and you terrorized the parishioners, we are coming after you… I don’t care who you are, if you’re a failed CNN journalist, you have no right to do that in this country. We don’t live in a third-world country. We’re going to protect our houses of worship in this country,” she told host Sean Hannity.
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The statement followed the self-organized anti-ICE protest at Cities Church on Jan. 18, during which a group of demonstrators entered the sanctuary, chanted slogans and disrupted the service. Protesters were objecting to the congregation’s pastor, who protesters claimed had ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Bondi said that three people involved in the protest — Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly — were arrested this week in connection with the incident. Charging documents have not yet been made public, but a Biden-appointed federal judge has already ordered them released after deciding they were not flight risks.
The DOJ initially sought to charge Lemon related to his presence at the protest, but a federal magistrate judge declined to sign off on the complaint, meaning no charges have been filed to date against Lemon. Bondi indicated that prosecutors may pursue alternative legal avenues and that the department “will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes.”
Lemon, who attended the protest and livestreamed portions of it, has said he was acting in a journalistic capacity, covering the event for his independent media platform. In public statements, he has challenged efforts to charge him and criticized the DOJ’s actions as politically motivated.
Bondi’s comments followed widespread attention to the disruption of the worship service, which drew sharp criticism from religious leaders and federal officials who said protesters crossed legal boundaries. The DOJ has said it is investigating potential civil rights and obstruction offenses under federal law.
For his part, Lemon has doubled down, claiming he was only practicing journalism and dared the DOJ to come after him.
“I stand proud, and I stand tall. This is not a victory lap for me, because it’s not over. They’re going to try again… And guess what? Here I am. Keep trying. That’s not going to stop me from being a journalist. You’re not going to diminish my voice. Go ahead. Make me into the new Jimmy Kimmel if you want,” Lemon said during Thursday’s episode of his YouTube show. “Just do it. Because I’m not going anywhere… None of this is about justice. This is about power. And it’s about people who are incompetent. It’s not about justice,” he said in a video posted to social media.
The video got the attention of Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon, who responded to Lemon’s post with one word: “Okay.”
