Double Standard Exposed: Rep. Chip Roy Condemns Church Disruption Allegations as Double Standard in Federal Law Enforcement

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) stated on Friday that the arrests of former CNN anchor Don Lemon and others accused of interrupting a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, highlight what he described as a double standard in how federal laws have been enforced.

During an appearance on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Roy noted individuals entered a church and attempted to “break down the service where people have a right to go … and carry out their faith.” Lemon livestreamed a demonstration on January 18 that interrupted the St. Paul church service to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration and fraud crackdown in the Twin Cities.

Roy added that the group frightened children during the disruption, stating: “They go threaten children. They disparage their parents in front of these children.” He contrasted the incident with prosecutions under the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), which has been used in abortion-related cases. Roy said: “They had the audacity when it was the [Joe] Biden regime to be going after … American citizens who were going to abortion clinics, praying at abortion clinics.” He noted that some individuals were sentenced to lengthy prison terms and emphasized: “We had dozens of people who are being prosecuted under the FACE Act … elderly women.”

Roy further stated that President Donald Trump pardoned some of those convicted and argued that if the law is applied in one setting, it should be applied in another. He added: “You want to use the FACE Act, then maybe the FACE Act can now be used to say, ‘You’re interfering with churches.'” Although Roy described himself as “not a big fan of lots of federal laws” and previously wanted to repeal the FACE Act, he stressed it remains “a law on the books.” Roy concluded: “These people are going to churches and they’re, frankly, threatening people. We shouldn’t bow to what he called ‘their worldview.'”