DOJ Investigates Church Attack: FACE Act and Civil Rights Violations

DOJ Investigation into Church Disruption

• 🏛️ The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating potential violations of the FACE Act following an incident where individuals disrupted Christian worshippers in a house of worship.
• 🚨 Federal prosecutors, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's office have been activated, with the Attorney General and DOJ team giving this incident their highest attention.
• 🚫 The DOJ is committed to prosecuting attacks on houses of worship, having already prosecuted numerous such incidents and investigating multiple attacks on synagogues.

State vs. Federal Law Enforcement

• ⚖️ State officials, including the Minnesota Attorney General, District Attorney, and Governor, are accused of refusing to enforce their own state laws prohibiting such conduct.
• federal laws will be enforced by the DOJ if state authorities fail to act.
• 🏛️ Unlike prior administrations that prosecuted individuals under the FACE Act for praying outside abortion clinics, the current DOJ is applying the law to protect houses of worship.

Don Lemon's Alleged Involvement

• 📰 Don Lemon has reportedly made admissions online regarding his participation and intentions related to the incident.
• 🧑‍⚖️ The DOJ is gathering facts, and while state prosecutors could have made arrests, the DOJ will pursue federal charges.
• 📜 The FACE Act is mentioned as a potential predicate, with discussions of using the Clan Act (Enforcement Act) for conspiracy charges, similar to its use in cases involving protests outside abortion clinics.

Legal Frameworks: FACE Act and Clan Act

• 📜 The FACE Act protects the right to pray without interference and prohibits disrupting religious services.
• ⚖️ The Clan Act, a federal civil rights statute, makes it illegal to terrorize citizens or conspire to violate their civil rights.
• 📈 The Clan Act can be used to bring conspiracy charges, potentially enhancing penalties from misdemeanors under the FACE Act to felonies.

Journalism vs. Criminal Conspiracy

• 📰 Don Lemon's claim of