Vice President Vance: Lemon’s Church Protest Constitutes “Rock Solid” FACE Act Violation

By Sam Barron | Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 06:09 PM EST

Vice President JD Vance declared the case against former CNN reporter Don Lemon to be “rock solid” following his recent federal charges for participating in an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church.

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

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

However, Vance emphasized that “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.”

The vice president cited the FACE Act—which prohibits intimidation at places of worship or interference with religious services—as having been violated by Lemon. “We have a rock-solid violation of the FACE Act,” Vance explained, noting that Lemon “was sticking a microphone in the face of a minister during the church service while the people you were with preventing people from leaving.”

“That’s a violation of the law,” Vance added, stressing it was “not about the First Amendment.”

Lemon was charged last Friday with federal civil rights offenses for disrupting a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as pastor. He faces charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers. Another journalist and two protest participants were also arrested.

Attorney General Pam Bondi later released a video on social media at 11:41 a.m. stating that Lemon, along with protesters Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, had been “executed” at her direction. The clip did not name the individuals arrested but asserted citizens have the right to worship freely and safely, adding, “we are coming after you” if anyone interferes.

Sam Barron has nearly two decades of experience covering politics, crime, and business.