Don Lemon Claims Trump Will ‘Go Around’ Judge to Prosecute Him Over Church Invasion

Disgraced former CNN host Don Lemon claimed on Sunday that the Trump administration would circumvent the judicial system to prosecute him over his role in last weekend’s anti-ICE church invasion in Minneapolis.

Speaking to former CNN colleague Alisyn Camerota—now a special events anchor for Scripps News—Lemon insisted he was simply “observing” the incident as a journalist, despite evidence that he coordinated with agitators who stormed Cities Church during Sunday worship. The church had been targeted because one of its pastors is reportedly affiliated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lemon is one of five individuals named in a federal case over the disruption. A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Justice Department had established probable cause to bring charges under the FACE Act, but declined to compel a lower court judge to issue arrest warrants. That ruling left the door open for future charges through other legal mechanisms.

Still, Lemon portrayed himself as a victim of political targeting.

“I think what’s next is that I have to be in it for the long haul,” Lemon said. “I think they’re probably going to try again and again, as they did with Tish James and Comey and everyone… If there’s no law to fit, they will try to fit or retrofit something or go around a judge and just do it themselves.”

Lemon, who has long accused the Trump administration of authoritarian tendencies, suggested the DOJ would go outside the law “just to get him,” claiming he was the “biggest name” associated with the church incident.

Camerota, sympathetic to Lemon throughout the interview, described him as “calm,” “resolute,” and “unapologetic,” and agreed with his claim that his actions were protected by the First Amendment.

But according to federal officials, Lemon wasn’t just an observer. The Justice Department believes Lemon coordinated with anti-ICE agitators ahead of the storming, which interrupted church services and resulted in the arrest of at least three individuals—one of whom was Black Lives Matter activist Nekima Levy Armstrong.

The Trump administration is pursuing charges under the FACE Act, which prohibits interference with religious worship. The same law was weaponized by the Biden administration to prosecute pro-life activists who protested outside abortion clinics.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche previously rejected Lemon’s “journalist” defense.

“Freedom of the press does not extend to someone embedded with a group of rioters storming a church,” Blanche said.

Despite the appeals court’s narrow ruling, the DOJ is expected to press forward. Lemon, for his part, claims the case is about revenge and political optics—not justice.

“They want to save face,” he said. “And so if they get a Don Lemon, woohoo, that’s a victory.”

For federal prosecutors, it’s not about who Don Lemon is. It’s about what he did.