MN - Journalist Don Lemon arrested for church protest, Minneapolis, 18 Jan 2026

[otto]

Is one of the questions: when someone posts on social media that they intend to violate federal law, such as the FACE Act (or any other law), should journalists rush to the scene to film the violation of law? Should journalists interview the persons whose rights have been violated to ask how it feels?

Is that journalism, or voyeurism?

 

[Inthedetails]

Washington, D.C., January 30, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for their reporting on a protest in Minnesota, arrests which mark a serious escalation of attacks on the press in the United States.

“This is an egregious attack on the First Amendment and on journalists’ ability to do their work,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “As an international organization, we know that the treatment of journalists is a leading indicator of the condition of a country’s democracy. These arrests are just the latest in a string of egregious and escalating threats to the press in the United States — and an attack on people’s right to know.”

CPJ condemns arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort over Minnesota protests coverage - Committee to Protect Journalists

Washington, D.C., January 30, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for their reporting on a protest in Minnesota, arrests which mark a serious escalation of attacks on the press in the United States. “This is an...

cpj.org

 

[ColyH]

I understand the anger of the protesters but barging into a church protesting did not do them any favors. On saying that if a church is going to hire a preacher who holds a political post and uses a pulpit to push his political agenda then they better expect backlash.

 

[Inthedetails]

I understand the anger of the protesters but barging into a church protesting did not do them any favors. On saying that if a church is going to hire a preacher who holds a political post and uses a pulpit to push his political agenda then they better expect backlash.

Did the person arrested, Don Lemon, participate in the protest or was he there as a journalist, not a protester?

This thread is about Don Lemon.

jmo

 

[CrimeDawg123]

I understand the anger of the protesters but barging into a church protesting did not do them any favors. On saying that if a church is going to hire a preacher who holds a political post and uses a pulpit to push his political agenda then they better expect backlash.

Totally agree. I don't understand why they chose that manner of protest and I personally think it's in extremely poor taste to disrupt a church service. I would think protesting outside the church would be much more effective appealing to church goers and non church goers alike to let them know the pastor is a .

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Speaking on camera from a snowy parking lot in the Twin Cities, Lemon said he had done some “reconnaissance” with activist groups ahead of the storming of Cities Church.

“These are resistance protesters, they’re planning an operation we’re going to follow them on. I can’t tell you exactly what they’re doing, but it’s called Operation Pull-Up,” he said in the livestream.

“So that’s what we’re doing here, and after we do this operation, you’ll see it live, these operations are surprise operations, again I can’t tell you where they’re going,” he said.

Video proves Don Lemon was embedded with anti-ICE agitators before they stormed church — despite claiming ‘no affiliations’

Speaking on camera from a snowy parking lot in the Twin Cities, Lemon said he had done some “reconnaissance” with activist groups ahead of the storming of Cities Church.

nypost.com

 

[Sundog]

FWIW, the few journalists I know take their role very seriously and they know the very first amendment of the Bills of Rights calls for freedom of the press.

Democracy depends on free press, to hold authority to accountability, to keep the public informed. Responsible voting depends on being informed - and people are informed through a free press. This not a light matter and journalists take it seriously (as well as knowing they have to "sell newspapers").

This will be a case where freedom of the press will be at its core and we'll see who is strong enough to accept scrutiny of the press.

My opinion

Precedent was set with the arrest of independent journalists who were chronicling the events of January 6th at the Capitol. I think it was about 8 independent journalists who were arrested and charged and some sent to prison and some negotiated a plea deal, IIRC. Also, no journalists defended their right to chronicle the events and practice journalism during these events. So it seems that these journalism associations have a clear double standard for when they speak out against this and when they don't. I don't think any of us are surprised, sadly.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

https://bsky.app/profile/motherjones.com%2Fpost%2F3mdo2ml56ts2q

 

[Summerliz03]

Precedent was set with the arrest of independent journalists who were chronicling the events of January 6th at the Capitol. I think it was about 8 independent journalists who were arrested and charged and some sent to prison and some negotiated a plea deal, IIRC. Also, no journalists defended their right to chronicle the events and practice journalism during these events. So it seems that these journalism associations have a clear double standard for when they speak out against this and when they don't. I don't think any of us are surprised, sadly.

I’m honestly asking because I cannot find any information on this. Can you please link some news articles about independent journalists being arrested after the Jan 6th riots? When I google, I don’t find any information or articles about this but I’d like to further educate myself in case I missed this.

 

[Summerliz03]

I’m honestly asking because I cannot find any information on this. Can you please link some news articles about independent journalists being arrested after the Jan 6th riots? When I google, I don’t find any information or articles about this but I’d like to further educate myself in case I missed this.

Ok after some more digging, I did find this.

Independent journalist briefly detained amid DC riots

Independent journalist Talia Jane was briefly detained while documenting riots in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.Jane was documenting via …

pressfreedomtracker.us

I’m not sure this journalists detainment is similar or relevant to Don Lemon’s current arrest but I’m open to seeing if there’s anything more that happened after the capitol riots?

Edit: ok I did also find this, off to read more!

Four more journalists get felony charges after covering inauguration unrest

A documentary producer, a photojournalist, a live-streamer and a freelance reporter facing up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine if convicted

www.theguardian.com

Looks like that guardian article is about trumps inauguration in 2017, not the 2021 Capitol riots.

 

[Sundog]

Did people storm into a place of worship? Like storming into a synagogue or a mosque to disrupt a religious meeting?

Shouldn't journalists take the stance that storming a religious building during a religious meeting is going to cause fear and safety concerns? Would Don Lemon film the storming of a synagogue during a religious meeting?

Good points.

Also, a grand jury reviewed evidence and determined there is probable cause that a felony was committed by Don Lemon and they issued an indictment to initiate a trial. Maybe he'll plead guilty and his lawyer will try to negotiate a plea deal.

 

[Sundog]

Is this the church that the pastor was found to be the head of some department of ICE? The people of that person's church had no idea that is who he was in 'real life'. IMO

I'm not sure what the point of your post is. So what if he was head of some department of ICE and also their church pastor. Why would that be a problem, except for the agitators who broke the law and stormed the church and violated the sanctuary.

 

[Sundog]

"another step toward authoritarianism"
-- Congressman Joaquin Castro

https://bsky.app/profile/joaquincastrotx.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3mdnmm7cw5s2a

That's just nonsense. The independent journalists who were chronicling the events of January 6 at the Capitol were charged and sentenced to prison time, many negotiated a plea deal, some did time in prison. Also, other journalists around the country said nothing at the time. They remained silent.

So there is now precedence in law for these kinds of arrests. Maybe they should have spoken out a long time ago and not let their political biases play a role in their silence or outspokenness.

 

[Sundog]

How does a Christian pastor square being an ICE officer. I'm trying to picture Jesus beating people up, separating families, calling women the c-word, shooting someone in the back. Can't see it.

I see no problem with the pastor of a church holding a position in federal law enforcement or any other LE position. I don't think that the pastor has been involved in anything that you mention, or do you have any evidence that he is involved in the list of things that you mention? The pastor is a victim in this case, along with his congregants.

 

[Sundog]

I have not seen the video, not have followed it. However, there were journalists in the Capitol when it was stormed. If we didn't have journalists at scenes, there often would not be documentation of the event.

<snipped for focus>

Exactly, and the independent journalists that documented the events at the Capitol incident were arrested and charged with crimes and some of them were given prison sentences.

 

[tricia]

I’m actually having a hard time finding Don’s actual broadcast from that day. He did upload it to his official Tiktok account but i don’t believe that’s an approved news source here so I can’t link it. It’s a 5 min video where he is interviewing both protestors and church members.

If you can find the Don's official broadcast on TikTok go ahead and post it. It is important to the conversation that we all see what happened.
Thank you.

 

[witchway]

If you can find the Don's official broadcast on TikTok go ahead and post it. It is important to the conversation that we all see what happened.
Thank you.

I looked on youtube earlier, under his account but I didn’t see it. It could be over there though if you search more broadly. I watched it the day of.

 

[Sundog]

Is there any reason to believe that the people whose religious worship was disrupted in violation of the FACE Act would not report the incident to police? Is there any reason to believe that the violation of the FACE Act is not news unless one of the people at the protest held a camera?

Of course, you are right, there was always going to be a criminal complaint. Congregants were crying, children were crying, people were followed out to their cars, as they sat in their church pews praying and worshipping protesters were in their face, shouting about their beliefs, demeaning them as Christians, etc. It was a violent, loud and nasty protest and Lemon was part of it, now trying to hide behind a first amendment right. Shameful and shows the coward that he is.

 

[Jade]

I don’t know if the Church in this case is active politically also that might have furthered them as a choice for the demonstrators.

I know from a hard line Church in our community that has embraced Trump’s actions and are very outspoken from the Pulpit in addition to publications and has carried a first time running for office Church member to a important seat ousting a long time person who was accused of being in name only sort from the same political party.

Because of that the Church has attracted demonstrators so the Church has bouncers at the door questionable outsiders have to retreat to the public sidewalk.

It’s a different now with Churches and political action, if they choose, since Trump “has gotten rid of the Johnson amendment”. It’s not for all of them a sacred God only cocoon as it used to be, imo.



Churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates without risking the loss of their tax-exempt status, the Internal Revenue Service said in a legal document the tax-collection agency filed on July 7, 2025. This guidance is at odds with a law Congress passed more than 70 years ago that’s known as the Johnson Amendment and applies to all charitable nonprofits, whether they are secular or religious.

…

The plaintiffs and the IRS filed a joint motion on July 7 to settle the case. They asked the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas to order the IRS not to enforce the Johnson Amendment against the two church plaintiffs. They also asked the court to incorporate in its order a statement that the Johnson Amendment does not apply to “speech by a house of worship to its congregation, in connection with religious services through its customary channels of communication on matters of faith, concerning electoral politics viewed through the lens of religious faith.”

This represents the first time the IRS has said there’s an exception to the Johnson Amendment for houses of worship. While lawmakers have periodically sought to repeal or modify the statute, neither chamber of Congress has ever passed such legislation.

President Donald Trump asserted during his first term that he had “gotten rid of” the Johnson Amendment. But that referred to his 2017 executive order that directed the Treasury Department – to which the IRS belongs – to respect freedom of religion with respect to religious organizations speaking about political issues as “consistent with law.”

…

IRS says churches may endorse political candidates despite a decades-old federal statute barring them from doing that



However, a decision this week by the Trump administration via the IRS said that it would no longer be enforcing the Johnson amendment, essentially allowing churches to engage in the political process, including using funds for political purposes.

…

Even though most people and churches have seen the Johnson amendment as a limitation on speech, Van Kley said that churches and their leaders have always been free to say whatever they wanted, even “from the pulpit.” However, that speech could have a literal price — the tax-exempt status of the church, which is no small detail.

New Trump tax rule could mean big changes for churches during election season • Daily Montanan



all imo

 

[Sundog]

He will have to spend his own money defending this nonsense

<snipped for focus>

It was not nonsense.

I suggest you watch the videos of the protesters and Lemon storming the church sanctuary and the screaming and yelling in the faces of the pastor, women and children sitting in their pews and praying, reading the bible, and children crying, frightened and fearful congregants. It was absolutely shocking to see and contemplate.