The indictment and arrest of former CNN commentator Don Lemon for trespassing onto private property and illegally disrupting a Christian worship service while hiding behind his role as a “journalist” sends a clear message: The days of two-tier justice are over.
This article is a lightly edited transcript of the “Here’s the Point” podcast by Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center.
Early this morning, federal agents arrested Don Lemon in Los Angeles, California, along with three co-conspirators — Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy — in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday, January 18.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests on X, stating clearly: “At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon…in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church.”
Don Lemon’s actions were not journalism, but a criminal conspiracy to violate the civil rights of a church on church grounds.
The arrest stemmed from Lemon’s involvement in pre-organizing and participating in a mob that trespassed and disrupted a church service, which was a clear violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, the FACE Act, which protects houses of worship from intimidation, obstruction, and interference. Lemon worked alongside William Kelly’s Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter (BLM) Minneapolis to interrupt worship services and violate the civil rights of churchgoers on private property.
Before his arrest, Lemon went on a podcast and publicly characterized Cities Church as a “white supremacist group” with a “sense of entitlement,” in his words, “that this country was built for them.” Lemon already attempted to reframe any legal accountability he might face as persecution, claiming he could be targeted for being “a gay, black man in America.”
But let’s be clear: Don Lemon is not the subject of viewpoint discrimination nor is he the target of malice or prejudice. His decision to enter a church on Sunday morning and interfere with public worship was because he held Cities Church in contempt. He accused Jonathan Parnell and churchgoers of white supremacy. Not only was Lemon guilty of breaking the law, he was guilty of the classic leftist psychology of projection.
Lemon broke federal law by conspiring to interfere with the free exercise of religion on private property. If James O’Keefe, Nick Shirley, Savannah Hernandez, and countless conservative journalists have faced legal consequences for their actions, so too can Don Lemon.
So how should Christians think about this? Three points.
First, we must recognize the blatant double standard in how the FACE Act has been applied in the past.
Under the Biden administration, the FACE Act was a weapon against pro-life advocates. Peaceful protesters praying on sidewalks — public property — were arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to prison. Mark Houck, a Catholic father of seven, was arrested by a heavily armed FBI raid team for defending his son from a clinic escort. He faced 11 years in prison for a misdemeanor. Paul Vaughn, a father of eleven, was convicted for singing hymns outside an abortion clinic.*
The FACE Act has consistently been applied by the left against the right as a weapon to punish political enemies while protecting political allies. The fact that Don Lemon is now being held accountable represents a dramatic shift in how justice is now being administered. And it’s about time we see equal justice under the law.
Second, Lemon violated the civil rights of a church on private property — there is no journalist standard of immunity.
When you break and enter, when you trespass, when you break federal law, you don’t get immunity by playing journalist. The BLM rioters were coordinated, and Lemon was working with them to help propagate their story. He conspired to interfere with the free exercise of religion.
That’s not journalism. That’s criminal co-conspiracy.
The First Amendment protects the press, yes, but it doesn’t protect criminal conduct disguised as journalism. And it certainly doesn’t protect coordinated attacks on houses of worship. Don Lemon’s defense of his actions as journalism reflected the same excuse Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison gave as well.
Third, this case reveals the Marxist playbook: demonize, delegitimize, then disrupt.
Lemon’s characterization of Cities Church as a “white supremacist group” wasn’t random. It was strategic. The goal on the left is exactly the same with ICE, just as it was applied to Cities Church — dehumanize and delegitimize in order to justify any actions used against them.
This is straight out of the critical theory playbook: assign moral guilt based on group identity, declare the group irredeemably evil, then use that declaration to justify any actions against them. That is how they can justify laughing at Charlie Kirk’s murder or comparing ICE agents to Nazis.
But here’s the truth: Cities Church is a multiethnic congregation committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They’re not a white church, or a white supremacist group. They’re a New Testament church who believe what Scripture teaches about marriage, family, sexuality, the sanctity of life, and also the rule of law.
And for that, they’ve been targeted by Marxist activists who cannot tolerate biblical Christianity in the public square.
When activists can’t win the argument, they seek to silence opposition through intimidation and violence. That is why the Department of Justice had to act and that is why Pam Bondi had to order the arrest.
As Christians, we cannot be silent when the rule of law is applied selectively based on politics or viewpoint discrimination
Equal justice under the law is fundamental to the integrity of the law—it’s a constitutional requirement. Attorney General Pam Bondi does deserve credit for enforcing the law without fear and without favor. The Department of Justice just passed the “Lemon Test.” The arrest of Don Lemon sends a clear message: The days of two-tiered justice are over.
If you violate federal law, regardless of who you voted for or whether you’re a former celebrity cable news host or a Marxist street activist, you still will be held accountable.
So pray for Cities Church and for all churches facing political harassment and intimidation. Pray for justice to prevail in America. And thank God that we finally have leaders in the Trump Administration who are willing to defend religious liberty and the rule of law.
* Editor’s Note: Paul Vaughn was convicted of both the FACE Act and conspiracy against rights but was sentenced to probation, not prison. However, several other pro-lifers, among them Lauren Handy and Paulette Harlow, were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences for praying and singing inside an abortion clinic. Jonathan Darnel, who livestreamed a protest at an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C., but never actually entered the clinic, was convicted and sentenced to 34 months in prison.
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