Don Lemon’s Status as ‘Journalist’ in Church Invasion Both Dubious and Irrelevant, Legal Experts Say
5th February 2026
Indicted ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon’s actions belie his claim he was acting as a Constitutionally-protected “journalist” when he disrupted a church service last month – but, even if he was, he still doesn’t have the right to violate the religious freedom rights of others – legal experts say.
On January 29, federal authorities arrested Lemon for his role in the January 18 storming of a St. Paul, Minnesota-area church by an organized mob of far-left rioters under the guise of protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to detail illegal aliens. He has been charged with violating laws protecting the right to freedom of religious worship.
Despite his claim to be a journalist covering, instead of a participant in, the church invasion, actions speak louder than words, legal analysts note.
“Don Lemon was part of an organized mob that stormed into a church service and prevented the parishioners from practicing their faith,” Constitutional lawyer, commentator and Author Mark Levin wrote in a X.com post explaining that Lemon was acting as a participant, not a journalist, in the church invasion.
“He can claim he was merely reporting, but he was not. Even if he was, he still intentionally joined in the disruption of the church service,” Levin notes. “And he obviously knew beforehand what was going to take place.”