Don Lemon Hits Back At Trump DOJ After Judge Rejects Criminal Charges Over ICE Church Protest Coverage
Written by b87fm on 01/22/2026
Veteran journalist Don Lemon is pushing back after the Trump administration’s Department of Justice attempted—and failed—to bring criminal charges against him for reporting from inside a Minneapolis church during an anti-ICE protest.
A federal magistrate judge declined to approve the DOJ’s criminal complaint against Lemon, 59, stemming from his live coverage of a peaceful protest on Jan. 18 at Cities Church. Demonstrators accused the church’s pastor, David Easterwood, of simultaneously serving as a local pastor and an ICE field director, a dual role protesters said endangered immigrant communities.
Lemon, an Emmy Award–winning journalist, entered the church to interview congregants and document the demonstration. He had been in Minneapolis covering heightened protests tied to the Trump administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement, particularly following the Jan. 7 fatal ICE shooting of 37-year-old mother Renée Good.
In a statement responding to the DOJ’s failed attempt to charge Lemon, his attorney, Abbe Lowell, defended the journalist’s actions as constitutionally protected.
“The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment-protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter,” Lowell said. “It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years—reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist.”
According to The New York Times, federal prosecutors sought to charge Lemon under the FACE Act, a law that criminalizes physically obstructing or threatening individuals seeking reproductive health services or participating in worship at a religious institution. The judge’s refusal to approve the complaint halted that effort—for now.
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 14: Students cheer during a school walkout to protest federal immigration enforcement at the State Capitol building on January 14, 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Trump administration has deployed over 2,400 Department of Homeland Security agents to the state of Minnesota in a push to apprehend undocumented immigrants. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Despite the ruling, the Times reports the DOJ is exploring other avenues to pursue charges, though it remains unclear what form those efforts might take.
The incident drew direct commentary from President Donald Trump, who accused Lemon of confronting church leadership during a White House press conference on Tuesday.
“They have to be abused by guys like Don Lemon, who’s a, you know, loser, lightweight,” Trump said. “I saw him, the way he walked in that church. It was terrible.”
Lowell warned that if the Justice Department continues what he described as a “stunning and troubling” attempt to punish Lemon for exercising his rights as a member of the free press, his client is prepared to fight back aggressively in court.
While prosecutors failed to secure charges against Lemon, the administration did move to arrest several activists involved in the church protest. Those detained included lead organizer and civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul Public Schools board member Chauntyll Allen, both Black women.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sharply criticized the arrests, calling them a “gross abuse of power” and demanding their release.
“The federal government is picking and choosing who to investigate—going after protestors and not the person who shot and killed one of our neighbors,” Frey said.
