Vice President Vance Slams Don Lemon for ‘Rock-Solid’ Violation of Church Religious Rights

By Sam Barron    |   Wednesday, 04 February 2026 06:09 PM EST

Vice President JD Vance declared the case against former CNN reporter Don Lemon to be “rock solid” following charges stemming from his involvement in an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church last month.

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

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

“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 cited the FACE Act, which prohibits intimidating others at a place of worship or interfering with religious services.

“We have a rock-solid violation of the FACE Act, which is you were sticking a microphone in the face of a minister during the church service while the people you were with preventing people from leaving,” Vance stated.

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

Lemon was charged last Friday with federal civil rights crimes related to an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

He faces charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during a January 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as pastor.

Another journalist and two protest participants were also arrested.

Attorney General Pam Bondi later announced that the arrest of Lemon, along with fellow protesters Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, occurred “at my direction.”

Bondi posted a 16-second video at 11:41 a.m. stating citizens have the right to worship freely and safely, warning that “we are coming after you” if anyone interferes.