Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice, has announced that they plan to charge disgraced former CNN anchor Don Lemon under the Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era law enacted to combat terrorist activities by groups like the KKK.
The charges stem from Lemon’s involvement when a group of anti-ICE activists stormed a church in Minneapolis on Sunday, disrupting a religious service and intimidating worshippers.
The Ku Klux Klan Act, formally known as the Enforcement Act of 1871, prohibits conspiracies to threaten, injure, or intimidate individuals to prevent them from exercising their constitutional rights, including the free exercise of religion.
According to reports, Lemon not only accompanied the protesters, but was also aware of their plans to attack the church, where a service was taking place at the time.
Some have even claimed that he was the one who incited the protesters to target the church.
Before the incident, Lemon is seen in his team’s own footage discussing the “covert operation” with activists, confirming that they had the church’s address and even instructing his staff not to reveal the location.
“We’re not going to give away any of the information,” Lemon says in one clip.
The former CNN anchor also acknowledges, “We don’t know what’s happening. We kind of do, but we don’t know how it’s going to end, right?”
Upon arrival, he points the camera: “We’re here. Maybe as long as you have it at the church.”
Don Lemon had prior knowledge of the church invasion protest that left children in tears. He should be investigated if he knew this and if he planned this in any way with the group.
The group, and I mean every member of it, MUST be arrested for this.pic.twitter.com/qOQYI4iw1M
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 19, 2026
After the incident, Lemon claimed, “I didn’t even know they were going to this church until we followed them there… Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism.”
WTF?! Don Lemon personally praised one of the rioters who stormed a Minnesota CHURCH yesterday, telling him “thank you for your service.”
Lemon is NOT a “journalist”
He ENCOURAGES people to storm the church and harass churchgoers.
LOCK HIM UP! pic.twitter.com/dqmI4zK6Dq
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 19, 2026
This apparent lie fueled the DOJ’s case, with officials claiming that Lemon’s actions went beyond reporting and amounted to active participation in violating the civil rights of congregants.
Yeah, so if Don Lemon and every radical who stormed the church isn’t arrested immediately, people are going to start taking matters into their own hands and things are going to get ugly quickly.
Either the DOJ will act, or the American parents whose children were terrified will pic.twitter.com/g0u5pL29b2
— Savanah Hernandez (@Savsays) January 19, 2026
On Monday, Dhillon appeared on The Benny Show to explain the legal implications.
“The Klan Act is one of the most important federal civil rights statutes,” Dhillon said. “It makes it illegal to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens. When people conspire to do this, the Klan Act can be used.”
She emphasized that the full force of the federal government would be brought to bear on such disruptions, drawing parallels to how the FACE Act has been used against pro-life protesters outside abortion clinics.
“Everyone in the protest community needs to know that the greatest force of the federal government will step in to prevent this and lock people up for a long time,” Dhillon warned.
As Dhillon noted, if peaceful pro-life grandmothers can be criminally prosecuted for praying outside clinics, activists and would-be journalists who disrupt churches should expect the same responsibility.
WATCH:
BREAKING: DOJ announces intent to charge Don Lemon under the Ku Klux Klan Act.
The KKK law makes it illegal to threaten, harm, or intimidate people to prevent them from exercising their God-given rights.
HARMEET DHILLON: “The Klan Act is one of the most important federal… pic.twitter.com/GWnXAMtWc9
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 19, 2026
Dhillon also posted the interview, writing, “To those asking where the arrests are: MN prosecutors could have made arrests yesterday. The DOJ must first appear before a federal judge to obtain an arrest warrant.”
She added: “Make no mistake: AG Pam Bondi & The Justice Dept will be filing federal charges in this case.”
To those asking where the arrests are, MN prosecutors could have made arrests yesterday. The DOJ must first go before a federal judge to obtain an arrest warrant.
Make no mistake: @AGPamBondi & @HetJustitieDept will file federal charges in this case. pic.twitter.com/aifeMUwvmf
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) January 19, 2026
Lemon has not yet publicly commented on the announcement.
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