The Department of Justice is going “to the ends of the Earth” to press charges against former CNN host Don Lemon for his alleged role in storming a St. Paul, Minnesota, church with a group of anti-ICE activists Sunday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said Friday.

A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota refused to sign off on charges against Lemon on Thursday but authorized the arrests of three activists who were tied to the mob. Still, the Justice Department is exploring ways to prosecute Lemon, Dhillon told conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, calling the judge’s actions “frustrating.”

“We are going to do it because that is what is required for justice here, and from Sunday, when I first saw the video that Don Lemon himself put out about his conduct that day, it was clear to me that we have the predicates for pursuing FACE Act and conspiracy,” she said.

The FACE Act penalizes those who “by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”

“We have aggressively and very rapidly sought legal process,” Dhillon said.

“He is not out of legal jeopardy and he has lawyered up, he has a prominent lawyer and we’re gonna pursue this to the ends of the Earth,” she said.

🚨NEW: @HarmeetKDhillon tells @megynkelly DOJ will pursue Don Lemon charges “TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH”🚨

“He is NOT out of legal jeopardy.”@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/W1XjXvlTjV

— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) January 23, 2026

Lemon responded to the Trump administration’s efforts to arrest him, saying Thursday, “Here I am.”

His attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement saying that the First Amendment protects Lemon since he joined the protest “as a reporter.”

“It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist,” the statement read.

“Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” it continued.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday that such protections don’t extend to “being part of the group that storms inside of a church.”

“Freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas,” Blanche told Fox News’s Will Cain. “It does not extend to somebody just trespassing and being embedded with a group of rioters and being part of the group that storms inside of a church… the fact that Mr. Lemon thought that was a good idea, and then raced away from it saying it was ‘freedom of the press’ — well, we’ll see.”

President Donald Trump commented on the record cold forecast to hit more than 35 states following a massive winter storm over the next few days, asking on Friday, “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???”

The massive storm is expected to sweep through much of the Great Plains, Southeast, Midwest, and most of the Eastern part of the United States on Saturday and Sunday. Following the storm, a polar vortex will bring Arctic air to many states, according to the forecast.

“Record Cold Wave expected to hit 40 States. Rarely seen anything like it before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain — WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???”

Environmental activists argue that global warming is a continuing problem and point to recent increases in the average global surface temperature. Many climate alarmists will also point to major weather events, such as hurricanes and floods, as evidence that global warming is the single biggest threat facing the world.

Unusually cold weather has also been tied to climate change. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cited a 2021 study that found climate change increases Arctic polar vortices, which can bring record cold temperatures to the southern United States.

Trump has blasted the climate change and global warming narrative on numerous occasions. Last year, while speaking at the United Nations, Trump called the climate change narrative “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”

“You know, it used to be global cooling. If you look back years ago in the 1920s and the 1930s they said global cooling will kill the world. We have to do something,” Trump said. “Then, they said global warming will kill the world, but then it started getting cooler, so now they just call it climate change … because if it goes higher or lower, whatever the hell happens there’s climate change.”

“It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” he added.

The global average surface temperature has risen by about 2.32 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average. Worldwide temperature records began around 1850, making comparisons to worldwide temperatures before the mid-19th century nearly impossible.

At least 14 states have declared emergencies ahead of the weekend’s winter storm, fearing that large accumulations of ice could knock out power and heat for millions of people. States that have declared emergencies include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.