Don Lemon being photographed and filmed embedded with anti-ICE agitators who stormed a church service is more than just an embarrassing moment for a former CNN host — it’s a reminder that media figures have abandoned even the pretense of neutrality. Video and livestream footage show Lemon accompanying activists who described their operation as a planned “pull-up,” then following them into Cities Church as protesters chanted “ICE out” and disrupted worship.
The footage makes it painfully clear Lemon was not a neutral observer but an active participant doing “reconnaissance” with organizers, which destroys the tired defense that he was merely “covering” the event. He even referenced the organizers and the operation by name on camera, undermining his subsequent claims of no affiliation and revealing the activist playbook in plain sight.
The proper response from law enforcement and the Trump Justice Department has been to put Lemon and the other agitators on notice for possible violations of federal protections for houses of worship — exactly what should happen when mobs invade sacred spaces. Harmeet Dhillon’s civil rights unit has said the FACE Act and even sections of the Ku Klux Klan Act are under review, and conservatives should applaud any effort to defend worshippers from politically motivated harassment.
Don’t let anyone gaslight you into thinking this was harmless protest theatre; the pastor of the church and congregants described feeling harassed and terrorized while they tried to worship, and that matters. Churches are supposed to be sanctuaries, not staging grounds for woke stunts, and the footage of worshippers being shouted down proves the left’s supposed tolerance is a sham.
Lemon’s posturing — claiming journalistic duty while calling churchgoers “entitled” and blaming “white supremacy” for their response — shows exactly how the media now weaponizes identity politics to excuse outrageous behavior. The backlash from celebrities and online mobs only underscores the double standard: when the left disrupts, it’s “accountability”; when ordinary Americans protest, it’s “insurrection.”
Legal analysts have been blunt: following a group into private property and aiding a disruption of religious services can open someone up to charges like trespass, disorderly conduct, and violations of federal statutes protecting religious exercise. If Lemon slipped out of his role as a journalist and into agitator territory, accountability isn’t political revenge — it’s the rule of law finally being applied evenly.
This episode is a wake-up call for every patriotic American who still believes in religious liberty, objective journalism, and law and order. The media must be held to standards, activists should not be allowed to weaponize worship services, and officials must follow through with investigations so that no one thinks a microphone or fame grants them immunity. The country deserves better than performative outrage; we deserve protection for our churches and the fair application of the law.
