DOJ civil rights chief blasts Don Lemon as she vows charges against anti-ICE protesters who interrupted church service [View all]

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Source: NBC News

DOJ civil rights chief blasts Don Lemon as she vows charges against anti-ICE protesters who interrupted church service

Harmeet Dhillon said that "nobody should think in the United States that they're going to be able to get away with this" after anti-ICE protesters halted Sunday service at a St. Paul church.

Jan. 19, 2026, 2:24 PM EST
By Megan Lebowitz

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department "will pursue charges" related to a protest inside a St. Paul church, Harmeet Dhillon, the department's assistant attorney general for civil rights, said in an interview Monday while specifically calling out ex-CNN journalist Don Lemon for his coverage of the event.

Speaking to conservative influencer Benny Johnson, Dhillon said journalism is not a "shield" from a "criminal conspiracy."

"Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility," Dhillon said on “The Benny Show.” "He went into the facility, and then he began — quote, unquote — 'committing journalism,' as if that’s sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part, of a criminal conspiracy. It isn’t."

Dhillon did not confirm whether the Justice Department would pursue charges against Lemon in particular. NBC News has reached out to the Justice Department and the place of worship, Cities Church, for comment.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/dhillon-don-lemon-anti-ice-protest-church-doj-charges-renee-good-rcna254815

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