Vance Calls Lemon’s Church Protest “Rock-Solid” Legal Violation

By Sam Barron | Wednesday, 04 February 2026 06:09 PM EST
Vice President JD Vance described the case against former CNN reporter Don Lemon as “rock solid” after he was charged with involvement in an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church last month.

In an interview with Megyn Kelly on Wednesday, Vance called Lemon “the dumbest man in television, formerly.”

“No one is objecting to you standing outside of a church and protesting,” Vance said. “No one is saying you can’t protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies or frankly our policies on anything else.”

“What you cannot do is go into somebody’s house of worship and prevent them from exercising their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion,” Vance added.

The vice president noted the FACE Act prohibits intimidating others at a place of worship or interfering with religious services. “We have a rock-solid violation of the FACE Act,” he stated, explaining that Lemon had “stuck a microphone in the face of a minister during the church service while the people you were with prevented people from leaving.”

“That’s a violation of law—not the First Amendment,” Vance emphasized.

Lemon was charged last Friday by the Department of Homeland Security with federal civil rights crimes related to an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as pastor. The charges include conspiracy and interference with First Amendment rights during the January 18 protest.

Another journalist and two protest participants were also arrested. Attorney General Pam Bondi later posted on X stating that arrests were “executed at my direction,” sharing a video warning citizens that interference would result in action without naming any individuals.