A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the Justice Department established probable cause to charge former CNN host Don Lemon and four others over the anti-ICE church storming in Minneapolis last weekend. The appeals court, however, declined to force a lower court judge to sign arrest warrants.
The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth District was unsealed on Saturday after the Justice Department asked the appeals court to force a lower district court in Minnesota to sign the five arrest warrants. The ruling did not make the names of the five defendants public, but CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/appeals-court-don-lemon-protest-minnesota-probable-cause/">reported</a> that its sources confirmed one of the defendants is Lemon. The Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-vows-to-pursue-don-lemon-charges-to-the-ends-of-the-earth?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DOJ+Vows+To+Pursue+Don+Lemon+Charges+%E2%80%98To+The+Ends+Of+The+Earth%E2%80%99">vowed</a> on Friday to pursue charges against Lemon &#8220;to the ends of the Earth.&#8221;
While Friday&#8217;s ruling supported the Trump administration&#8217;s pursuit of charging Lemon on paper, it did not solve the Justice Department&#8217;s request. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon responded to the ruling, <a href="https://x.com/AAGDhillon/status/2015140496344314364">writing</a> on X, &#8220;Stay tuned 🤨.&#8221; The Justice Department could now seek a grand jury indictment or represent the charges to a magistrate judge.&#8221;
Lemon joined a large group of anti-ICE protesters who stormed Cities Church in Minneapolis last Sunday during the worship service because one of the church&#8217;s pastors is believed to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Three of the anti-ICE agitators who organized the church storming have been arrested by the FBI, including Black Lives Matter activist Nekima Levy Armstrong.
Lemon&#8217;s attorney argued that he is protected under the First Amendment since he was with the anti-ICE agitators to cover the church storming as an independent journalist. The Justice Department, however, argues that Lemon was coordinating with leaders of the anti-ICE group before the church storming.
“Freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier this week. “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.&#8221;
Magistrate Judge Doug Micko refused to sign the arrest warrant for Lemon, saying that federal prosecutors failed to present enough evidence to justify his arrest.
The Trump administration is pursuing charges against Lemon and others who participated in the storming of Cities Church through the FACE Act, which penalizes people for interfering with Americans who are exercising their right to religious freedom. The FACE act was used by the Biden administration to go after pro-lifers who were accused of blocking access to abortion clinics.
News of the appeals court ruling broke as Minneapolis erupts into chaos again after an armed man was shot and killed by federal agents on Saturday morning. Video showed federal officers attempting to detain a man on the street during what the Department of Homeland Security said was a &#8220;targeted operation&#8221; for an illegal immigrant &#8220;wanted for violent assault.&#8221; The man was armed with a loaded &#8220;semi-automatic handgun&#8221; and was shot and killed by a federal agent who was fearing for his life and the lives of his fellow agents, according to Homeland Security.

Don Lemon

Appeals Court Finds Probable Cause To Charge Don Lemon, But Rejects DOJ’s Bid To Force Arrest Warrant

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Department of Justice

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Minneapolis

Trump Administration

U.S.

The Department of Justice is going &#8220;to the ends of the Earth&#8221; 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 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rejects-charges-against-don-lemon-and-bondi-is-enraged?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Judge+Rejects+Charges+Against+Don+Lemon%2C+And+Bondi+Is+%E2%80%98Enraged%E2%80%99">refused</a> 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&#8217;s actions &#8220;frustrating.&#8221;
&#8220;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,&#8221; 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.”
&#8220;We have aggressively and very rapidly sought legal process,&#8221; Dhillon said.
&#8220;He is not out of legal jeopardy and he has lawyered up, he has a prominent lawyer and we&#8217;re gonna pursue this to the ends of the Earth,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/HarmeetKDhillon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarmeetKDhillon</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@megynkelly</a> DOJ will pursue Don Lemon charges &#8220;TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH&#8221;🚨
&#8220;He is NOT out of legal jeopardy.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyCaller</a> <a href="https://t.co/W1XjXvlTjV">pic.twitter.com/W1XjXvlTjV</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2014753371274490271?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
Lemon responded to the Trump administration&#8217;s efforts to arrest him, saying Thursday, &#8220;Here I am.&#8221;
His attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement saying that the First Amendment protects Lemon since he joined the protest &#8220;as a reporter.&#8221;
&#8220;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,&#8221; the statement read.
&#8220;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,&#8221; it continued.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday that such protections don&#8217;t extend to “being part of the group that storms inside of a church.&#8221;
“Freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas,” Blanche <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2013363084065169616" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> 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.”

“Highest 2 Lowest” New York Premiere

DOJ Vows To Pursue Don Lemon Charges ‘To The Ends Of The Earth’

Minnesota

A 21-year-old Ohio man was arrested after investigators say he threatened to shoot Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and those he described as &#8220;retarded maga maggots.&#8221;  
The Justice Department announced Thursday that federal authorities arrested Justin Mesael Novoa for threats to assault or murder a federal law enforcement officer and for threatening interstate communications. A raid of his home in December found two rifles, two shotguns, a handgun, ammunition, helmets, a plate carrier, and a Palestinian flag, according to the Justice Department. 
Novoa allegedly wrote on X on November 9, 2025, “can’t wait to shoot these p*ssy ice agents and retarded maga maggots.” Earlier in June, the account later identified as Novoa’s allegedly posted that “they should blast every ice agent they find” and “masked, unmarked vehicles, no badge or id. Every legal right to shoot these p*ssies.”
<div id="attachment_1032367" style="width: 1578px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1032367" class="size-full wp-image-1032367" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM.png" alt="" width="1568" height="522" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM.png 1568w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-300x100.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-1024x341.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-768x256.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-1536x511.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px" />Justice Department.</div>
On December 16, an agent with Homeland Security Investigations served a summons to X to turn over information about the anonymous account that posted the messages. That yielded Novoa’s email and phone number, which investigators then tracked to him. 
When Homeland Security Investigation agents executed a search of his home on December 20, Novoa allegedly admitted to writing the posts. 
“Alright, you got me. That was me,” he said, according to the criminal complaint. “Damn, so Elon does give you access to that,” he reportedly said after agents asked him if the X account was his. 
The account identified as Novoa’s also had a history of making anti-white and anti-Jewish posts, according to the criminal complaint. 
This included posting things like “hitler should have finished the job,” “lets give it back and kill every white person except for the white women,” “id join hamas too. these filthy f***king subhuman rats deserve to be gassed and executed,” and “may the resistance stand tall and wipe out these filthy jews.”
If convicted, Novoa could face more than 10 years in prison. He is currently being held in jail by the Franklin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office. 
The case will be heard by Magistrate Judge Kimberly Jolson and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Prichard. A preliminary hearing was set for February 5.

MixCollage-23-Jan-2026-07-35-AM-6313

Ohio Man Arrested Over Chilling Threats Against ICE Agents And Trump Supporters

Columbus

Department of Homeland Security

Ohio

Political Violence

Pro-Palestinian

Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-subpoenas-walz-top-minnesota-dems-in-major-ice-interference-investigation">subpoenas</a> issued to him and other Minnesota Democrats, calling the federal government&#8217;s probe &#8220;political retribution.&#8221;
Frey, along with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, was served subpoenas by the FBI earlier this week as they are accused of conspiring to interfere with federal law enforcement operations. Asked about his subpoena by <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-subpoenas-minnesota/">NewsNation</a> host Chris Cuomo on Wednesday night, Frey said the Trump administration&#8217;s action &#8220;should be of deep concern for everybody.&#8221;
“Obviously, it’s frivolous,” Frey said. “I’m going to let some of the lawyers handle the way this is handled as it works its way through the process. And again, this should be of deep concern for everybody.”
“This is political retribution that we are seeing here,” he added. “This is some form of retaliation, because I don’t know, the state didn’t support the president in like three consecutive elections. And we have an important role right now.”
Minnesota Democrats have argued that President Donald Trump is targeting their state as part of a &#8220;retribution&#8221; campaign. The state leaders point to Trump&#8217;s post on Truth Social on January 13, when the president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115888070937502023">wrote</a>, &#8220;FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING &amp; RETRIBUTION IS COMING!&#8221;
Last week, the Justice Department opened an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-opens-investigation-into-tim-walz-jacob-frey-over-suspected-conspiracy-to-impede-federal-agents?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DOJ+Opens+Investigation+Into+Tim+Walz%2C+Jacob+Frey+Over+Suspected+Conspiracy+To+Impede+Federal+Agents">investigation</a> into Frey and Walz, looking into whether the Democratic leaders violated a federal statute by interfering with federal immigration enforcement.
After the shooting death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good on January 7, Frey told ICE to “get the f*ck out of Minneapolis.” Good was shot and killed after she was confronted by federal law enforcement agents when she parked her vehicle in front of them. She then drove her vehicle toward an ICE officer after another officer attempted to open her car door.
After the fatal shooting, the mayor said that ICE agents were “causing chaos” in Minneapolis and suggested that residents were asking for the city police to “fight” ICE agents “on the streets” before he urged residents to remain peaceful.
Last week in Minneapolis, tensions escalated following a confrontation between federal immigration agents and agitators after an ICE agent fired defensive shots during an operation, leaving a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with non-life-threatening injuries, federal officials said. Agitators showed up on the scene and threw fireworks at law enforcement officers and vandalized federal law enforcement vehicles, and in at least one case, broke into a federal vehicle.
On Wednesday night, Frey doubled down on the city&#8217;s refusal to cooperate with ICE.
“We will not [cooperate],” Frey told Cuomo. &#8220;And there’s a good reason, by the way, that we won’t. And it’s not just the moral imperative here. It’s also the fact that I want our police officers focusing on safety. I want our police officers arresting perpetrators of violent crime and preventing carjackings from taking place and doing that basic work of 911 response.”
The Trump administration has said that the surge in immigration agents in Minneapolis is due to city and state leaders refusing to work with ICE and hand over detained illegal immigrants. The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2026/01/minnesotas-sanctuary-defiance-has-consequences/#:~:text=Trump%20delivers%20on%20the%20promise,business%2C%20not%20immigration%20business.%E2%80%9D">said</a> last week that Trump has a mandate from the American people to carry out deportations, but argued that Minnesota Democrats &#8220;have chosen defiance over partnership.&#8221;
&#8220;This toxic combination of &#8216;sanctuary&#8217; policies and anti-ICE rhetoric has created a climate of hostility that endangers federal officers and incites violence,&#8221; the White House added. &#8220;Make no mistake: the responsibility for the enhanced enforcement operations in Minnesota — and the tension and violence — lies squarely with these officials who refuse to partner with the Trump Administration and instead put their Radical Left agenda over public safety and the rule of law.&#8221;

Jacob Frey

‘It’s Frivolous’: Minneapolis Dem Mayor Says DOJ Subpoena Is ‘Political Retribution’

jacob frey

Tim Walz

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department from searching Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson&#8217;s devices, which were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-searches-washington-post-reporters-home-in-classified-docs-probe-leaker-behind-bars">confiscated</a> under an FBI search warrant last week as part of a federal investigation into leaked classified materials.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter said on Wednesday that federal prosecutors cannot search Natanson&#8217;s devices as he weighs whether the government must turn the devices back over to the reporter, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-judge-temporarily-blocks-review-material-seized-washington-post-reporter-2026-01-21/">reported</a>. Natanson and the Post argue that the FBI&#8217;s seizure of Natanson&#8217;s devices violate the First Amendment.
Porter said that Natanson and the Post “demonstrated good cause in their filings to maintain the status quo” until he can fully review the case. The judge also ordered the government to respond to the Post&#8217;s legal filing by January 28, with a hearing scheduled for early next month, the Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/21/washington-post-hannah-natanson-search-court-filing/">reported</a>.
Journalists who publish classified information are protected under U.S. law, provided they obtained the classified material without coercion and did not ask anyone to break the law.
The FBI seized two laptops, a phone, and a Garmin watch from Natanson as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of leaking classified government materials. Natanson is not the target of the investigation, which is focused on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a contractor with top-secret security clearance who allegedly took classified intelligence reports to his home.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that Natanson was reporting on classified information that was “illegally leaked” by a “Pentagon contractor.” Bondi added that the accused leaker, whom she did not publicly identify, is in jail.
Natanson focuses on “covering the Trump administration’s reshaping of the government&#8221; and was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team at the Post. She has described herself as “the federal government whisperer” and wrote in an article published last month that she connected with more than 1,000 sources within the Trump administration after posting her phone number to an online forum for federal government employees. She said federal workers who reached out to her often expressed frustration with the administration.
The Washington Post condemned the federal government&#8217;s search of Natanson&#8217;s home and seizure of her devices.
“The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials,&#8221; the Post said.
Last year, Bondi ended a policy implemented under former President Joe Biden that prohibited federal agencies from searching reporters’ devices to identify a leaker. Bondi said that under her leadership, federal authorities would search reporters’ devices and records only when necessary and after all other investigative avenues had been exhausted.

Washington Post logo

Federal Judge Blocks DOJ From Searching Washington Post Reporter’s Devices In Classified Docs Probe

federal judge

Journalism

Washington Post

Late Tuesday night, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged that authorities would soon arrest those who stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#8217;s presence in the Twin Cities.
“There will be arrests tied to that, and people will be brought to justice for how they violated the law in that situation,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kristi-noem-promises-arrests-in-the-next-several-hours-over-church-stormed-by-anti-ice-activists?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Kristi+Noem+Promises+Arrests+%E2%80%98In+The+Next+Several+Hours%E2%80%99+Over+Church+Stormed+By+Anti-ICE+Activists">Noem said</a>.
To do so, the Trump administration could use a law long weaponized against pro-life protesters to prosecute those who disrupted the church service, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, made it a federal crime for pro-life protesters to block the entrances of abortion facilities. Though the law was also meant to protect crisis pregnancy centers and churches, data obtained by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) <a href="https://roy.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-roy-reintroduces-legislation-repeal-face-act">shows</a> that 97% of FACE Act prosecutions through 2024 targeted pro-life individuals. 
While conservatives have long warned that the law has been weaponized against pro-lifers, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-ice-activists-storm-minnesota-church-with-don-lemon-doj-launches-probe?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Anti-ICE+Activists+Storm+Minnesota+Church+With+Don+Lemon%3B+DOJ+Launches+Probe">stunt</a> by leftist agitators at the Cities Church in St. Paul creates an opportunity for President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to flip the historical application of FACE on its head. 
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.”
That would appear to apply to the storming of Cities Church by a group of activists organized by the Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter Twin Cities. The protesters yelled and chanted slogans at worshipers, causing the service to end early. Lemon filmed the demonstration under the guise of an independent journalist and badgered the pastor of the church with questions while the disruption was taking place. 
Ryan Tucker, the director of the Center for Christian Ministries at Alliance Defending Freedom, told The Daily Wire that the religious component of the FACE Act has rarely been used. He noted that historically, local and state law enforcement have stepped in to address FACE Act violations, but no such help appears to be forthcoming in Minnesota. 
“Here in Minnesota, at least the state attorney general has come out and said that he&#8217;s not going to do anything to assist or to pursue any violations of state law,” Tucker said. “What&#8217;s really disheartening here is that you&#8217;ve got the lead lawyer of the state of Minnesota, Keith Ellison, saying that he&#8217;s not going to do anything to prosecute these individuals under those local laws, and in fact, has attempted to validate their actions, completely forgetting that the FACE Act even exists.”
Tucker added that it was very rare for activists to disrupt church services.
“The idea that one could go into a church, disrupt it, threaten the parishioners, and somehow get away with it, which is just absolutely unheard of,” he said. “Churches certainly have the right to worship freely without fear that protesters are going to invade their space and traumatize the families that are present, but that&#8217;s exactly what happened this past weekend.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-could-face-criminal-conspiracy-charges-over-involvement-in-minnesota-church-protest?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Don+Lemon+Could+Face+‘Criminal+Conspiracy’+Charges+Over+Involvement+In+Minnesota+Church+Protest">suggested</a> on Monday that the Justice Department would bring FACE Act-related charges against the protesters. 
“I see various crimes that have occurred,” she told podcaster Benny Johnson. “Exactly what they are I’m not going to flag, but the FACE Act has been mentioned as one of the predicates there. In other cases, the Biden DOJ used the Klan Act conspiracy charges tacked onto the FACE Act in the case of protests outside abortion clinics to bring much longer sentences.”
Dhillon was referring to how President Joe Biden’s Justice Department ramped up FACE Act prosecutions, pairing it with the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act to garner lengthy prison sentences for peaceful pro-life advocates who demonstrated at abortion facilities. 
Biden’s Justice Department successfully prosecuted these cases across the country — from Michigan to Tennessee and Washington, D.C. — and got lengthy prison sentences for multiple defendants. 
 Lauren Handy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-life-activist-sentenced-to-over-four-years-in-prison-over-protest-at-d-c-abortion-facility">was sentenced</a> to 57 months in prison for her role in an October 20 sit-in at the notorious D.C.-based Washington Surgi-Clinic late-term abortion facility.
In another case, 64-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pardoned-pro-life-activist-says-hes-running-on-adrenaline-and-the-holy-ghost-after-trump-pardon">Calvin Zastrow</a> and 75-year-old Chet Gallagher were sentenced to prison after they participated in a protest at an abortion facility in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, that involved them praying, singing, and speaking to women arriving at the facility. They were convicted under the FACE Act and the KKK Act for conspiracy against rights, a charge that could come with over 10 years of prison time. 
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-should-not-have-been-prosecuted-trump-pardons-23-pro-lifers-targeted-by-biden-doj?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan+and+Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98They+Should+Not+Have+Been+Prosecuted%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Pardons+23+Pro-Lifers+Targeted+By+Biden+DOJ">pardoned</a> the two dozen peaceful pro-life protesters during his first week in office. 
Dhillon suggested that Lemon might be subject to the KKK Act conspiracy against rights application if it could be proved that he had knowledge of the protest before it took place. 
“Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He went into the facility, and then he began ‘committing journalism,’ as if that’s sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part of a criminal conspiracy, it isn’t.&#8221;
As Lemon questioned a pastor during the disruption on Sunday, he asserted that the activists had a First Amendment right to stage a protest in the church. Tucker was unconvinced with this claim, noting that you can’t make a First Amendment claim while infringing on “someone&#8217;s ability to freely worship.”
Trump on Tuesday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-minnesota-church-protesters-should-be-jailed-or-thrown-out-of-the-country?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump%3A+Minnesota+Church+Protesters+Should+Be+Jailed+Or+%E2%80%98Thrown+Out+Of+The+Country%E2%80%99">called</a> for the agitators who stormed the church to be imprisoned or “thrown out of the country.” His Justice Department appears to be ready to take that action. 
“The FACE Act is just the start. Like I said, you have material support for disruptive activities, you have conspiracy to violate civil rights, you have potentially the use of other instrumentalities to commit crimes,” Dhillon said on Monday. 
The Trump administration has already used the FACE Act to go after left-wing activists who target religious services. In September, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-under-face-act-against-violent-protestors-synagogue-west">filed charges</a> under FACE against a group of protesters who targeted a Jewish synagogue in New Jersey.
Soon after taking office, Trump’s Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doj-rolls-back-bidens-aggressive-prosecution-of-pro-lifers?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+DOJ+Rolls+Back+Biden%E2%80%99s+Aggressive+Prosecution+Of+Pro-Lifers">issued a memo</a> stipulating that FACE Act cases would only be prosecuted in cases of violence or extreme property damage, a reversal of Biden’s policy.

Don Lemon, Nekima Levy-Armstrong

How The Law Weaponized Against Pro-Lifers Could Be Used To Prosecute Anti-ICE Agitators

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Bill Clinton

Donald Trump

FACE Act

Harmeet Dhillon

Keith Ellison

Pro-Life Movement

Religious Freedom

More Minnesota protestors face federal investigation after disrupting a church service in St. Paul, the effects of Virginia Democrats’ election sweep begin to take shape, and the Pentagon purchases a curious new device as evidence has come to light about the so-called “Havana Syndrome.”
It’s Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Anti-ICE Protestors Storm Minnesota Church</h2>
Federal authorities are investigating after anti-ICE <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/career-activist-who-disrupted-minneapolis-worship-service-also-targeted-hegseths-dc-church">activists</a> stormed a church service in Minnesota. The protestors, accompanied by former CNN anchor Don Lemon, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-ice-activists-storm-minnesota-church-with-don-lemon-doj-launches-probe">interrupted</a> worship and demanded that congregants condemn ICE. The situation unfolded during the Sunday morning service at Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in St. Paul. A group of anti-ICE activists entered the sanctuary mid-service and started chanting, shouting accusations, and filming the congregants. The protesters accused the church of supporting ICE because one of its staff pastors also serves as an acting field director for ICE’s St. Paul office. Several of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minneapolis-prosecutors-aide-spouse-of-city-council-member-disrupted-church-service-in-ice-protest">protestors</a> are associated with groups that led demonstrations over the death of George Floyd. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-could-face-criminal-conspiracy-charges-over-involvement-in-minnesota-church-protest">Lemon</a>, who was with these protestors, has claimed that the disruption was simply free speech. But DOJ Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told The Daily Wire that activists “don&#8217;t have a First Amendment right to trespass and invade a house of worship.” The Justice Department is investigating the incident for potential <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harmeet-dhillon-doj-weighing-charges-over-literally-illegal-anti-ice-church-protest">violations</a> of the FACE Act and other laws.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Democrats’ Virginia Agenda</h2>
Virginia swore in its Democratic slate of leaders over the weekend, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Attorney General Jay Jones, and they, along with their congressional counterparts, are laying out a heavily leftist agenda. One of the first actions Spanberger took as governor was to end the state government’s support for ICE, rescinding an executive order signed last year by former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. Jones put out a legal opinion shortly after he took office backing the push for redistricting. The new congressional map could be up for a vote in a few months ahead of the November midterm elections, and it could lead to four more seats for Democrats in the currently narrow Republican-majority House. Meanwhile, Democrats in Virginia’s General Assembly could bring other constitutional proposals to the ballot soon, such as placing a right to an abortion in the state’s constitution.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Did The U.S. Finally Crack The Havana Syndrome?</h2>
The Pentagon believes it may have solved a decade-long mystery surrounding Havana Syndrome, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-outrageous-rubio-weighs-in-on-biden-admin-dismissing-havana-syndrome-victims">mysterious</a> ailment impacting American personnel stationed around the world. The story is equal parts terrifying and fascinating. At first, officials thought these were isolated and natural medical events. They called them “anomalous health episodes,” but over time, a clear pattern emerged. New victims were overwhelmingly coming down with the ailment while working sensitive diplomatic events in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, especially Cuba, thus the name Havana Syndrome. The Pentagon has been tight-lipped about the total number of cases, but reports say there have been at least 200 victims. Some are now permanently disabled, suffering from severe short and long-term memory loss. In the final days of the Biden administration, the Pentagon secretly purchased a device that emits high-frequency pulsed radio waves. Specific details of the purchase are sparse, but reports say it cost in the “eight-figure” range and was acquired covertly as part of an “undercover operation.”

MRN-012026_V2

Morning Brief: Church Protest Fallout, Virginia Blue Surge, & ‘Havana Syndrome’ Twist

Democratic Party

Havana Syndrome

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Morning Wire

Virginia

A top Justice Department official says former CNN host Don Lemon is on her target list to face federal charges for his involvement in the anti-ICE protest that targeted a church service on Sunday. 
Assistant Attorney for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said multiple crimes were committed during the protest and warned that those involved could be facing lengthy prison sentences. She also suggested that former CNN host Don Lemon could face charges for his involvement. 
While Dhillon did not specify which charges would be brought, she pointed to possible violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act. 
“I see various crimes that have occurred,&#8221; she told podcaster Benny Johnson on Monday. &#8220;Exactly what they are I&#8217;m not going to flag, but the FACE Act has been mentioned as one of the predicates there. In other cases, the Biden DOJ used the Klan Act conspiracy charges tacked onto the FACE Act in the case of protests outside abortion clinics to bring much longer sentences.”
She also suggested that Lemon, who was embedded with the protesters under the guise of an independent journalist, could face criminal charges from his role. 
“Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility. He went into the facility, and then he began ‘committing journalism,’ as if that&#8217;s sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part of a criminal conspiracy, it isn&#8217;t,” she said. 
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BREAKING: DOJ Announces Intention to Charge Don Lemon under the Ku Klux Klan Act.
The KKK Act makes it illegal to threaten, hurt, or intimidate people to prevent them from exercising their God-given rights.
HARMEET DHILLON: &#8220;The Klan Act is one of the most important federal… <a href="https://t.co/GWnXAMtWc9">pic.twitter.com/GWnXAMtWc9</a>
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/2013283898935882195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Both statutes <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-house-moves-to-repeal-face-act-after-years-of-weaponization">were previously used</a> by the Biden administration to go after peaceful pro-life protesters who demonstrated outside abortion facilities. While the FACE Act guarantees entry to abortion facilities, it can also be used to bring charges against those who intentionally interfere with people attempting to exercise their religious liberty at a place of worship. The KKK Act makes it a crime to conspire to suppress a person’s civil rights and can be punished with more than a decade in prison and hefty fines. 
“The FACE Act is just the start.  Like I said, you have material support for disruptive activities, you have conspiracy to violate civil rights, you have potentially the use of other instrumentalities to commit crimes,” Dhillon said. 
Dhillon said the Justice Department is still gathering facts and getting its “ducks in a row” before filing charges. 
“Come next Sunday, nobody should think in the United States that they&#8217;re going to be able to get away with this. Everyone in the protest community needs to know that the fullest force of the federal government is going to come down and prevent this from happening and put people away for a long, long time,” she added. 
The church was targeted because one of the pastors on staff reportedly works for a local ICE field office. Protesters entered the sanctuary and screamed at worshipers, disrupting the service.

Don Lemon Could Face ‘Criminal Conspiracy’ Charges Over Involvement In Minnesota Church Protest

The Department of Justice is investigating after a group of activists and ex-CNN host Don Lemon disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday.
Dozens of protesters crowded into Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday as part of a “clandestine operation” to “disrupt business as usual,” activist leader Nekima Levy-Armstrong told Lemon, who embedded with the protest group. The protest lasted roughly 30 minutes and effectively ended the church service as it drove congregants out.
Lemon interviewed Levy-Armstrong ahead of &#8220;Operation Pullup,&#8221; as the protest was called, and followed agitators to Cities Church, conducting interviews, and, at times, arguing with members of the church and defending the “free speech” of the protesters, comparing the church invasion to the civil rights movement.
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Agitators aren’t just targeting our officers. Now they’re targeting churches, too.
They&#8217;re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.
Tim Walz and Jacob Frey are responsible for whipping… <a href="https://t.co/O3WQ6Iftfe">https://t.co/O3WQ6Iftfe</a>
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICEgov/status/2013011485476208754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Clips from Lemon’s coverage of the protest spread on social media and drew the attention of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Department of Justice&#8217;s Civil Rights Division.
“The [Civil Rights Division] is investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers,” Dhillon said in a <a href="https://x.com/aagdhillon/status/2013003168179724426">post</a> on X.
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act, “prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services or to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship,” according to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/freedom-access-clinic-entrances-places-religious-worship">Justice Department</a>.
Dhillon later suggested that Lemon is a target of the investigation as well, and could be prosecuted for his role in the protest.
“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service. You are on notice!” Dhillon <a href="https://x.com/AAGDhillon/status/2013044166062936417">said</a>.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also responded to the incident on X:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.
The Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the despicable incident that took place earlier today at a church in Minnesota.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2013075971348332554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The protest was organized and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DToXsEEEVk2/">promoted</a> by the Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter Minnesota. Cities Church was targeted by the activists because, Levy-Armstrong claimed, one of its pastors works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“They cannot pretend to be a house of God while harboring someone who is directing ICE agents to wreak havoc upon our community,” Levy-Armstrong told Lemon. “I am a reverend on top of being a lawyer and an activist, so I come here in the power of the almighty God for righteousness, truth, and justice.”
On Lemon’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4ctuhv-cck">stream</a> of the protest, Levy-Armstrong led dozens of protesters into the church during services, crowding the aisle and chanting slogans such as “justice for Renee Good,” “hands up, don’t shoot,” and “ICE out of Minnesota.” As protesters chanted, Lemon monologued about the importance of the First Amendment, speaking out against perceived injustice, and the meaning of protesting.
“This is the beginning of what’s going to happen here. When you violate people’s due process, when you pull people off the street, you start dragging them and hurting them and not abiding by the Constitution – when you start doing all of that, people get upset and angry,” Lemon said as protesters shouted at the assembled church-goers waiting for the chaos to end.
Lemon compared the protest to the civil rights movement and asserted that the protesters’ actions were protected under the Constitution.
“There is nothing in the Constitution that tells you what time you can protest. You can protest at any time. That’s the whole point of it, to disrupt, to make uncomfortable. And that’s what they&#8217;re doing,” Lemon said. “When you see how uncomfortable people, uncomfortably and harsh people are being treated on the streets, you have to be willing to go into places and disrupt and make people uncomfortable. That is what this country is about.”
Lemon at one point notes a “young man” in the corner of the church who Lemon says is “scared” and “crying.” The former CNN host turned YouTuber later states, “It’s uncomfortable and traumatic for the people here … but that’s what protesting is about.”
At one point during the protest, Lemon spoke to the church’s lead pastor, Jonathan Parnell. Parnell was not the pastor accused by protesters of working for ICE.
“It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship,” Parnell told Lemon.
Lemon challenged the pastor, asserting that the Constitution and First Amendment protect the “freedom of speech and freedom to assemble and protest.”
“We are here to worship. We are here to worship Jesus because that is the hope of these cities, that’s the hope of the world is Jesus Christ, okay?” Parnell responded before leaving the interview soon after.

Anti-ICE Activists Storm Minnesota Church With Don Lemon; DOJ Launches Probe

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Wednesday that the Justice Department has sued the state of Minnesota over affirmative action-based hiring practices.
&#8220;Today, @TheJusticeDept sued Minnesota for using affirmative action to hire for its state agencies. This is discriminatory DEI codified into bad state policy, and the Trump Administration will not stand for it,&#8221; Bondi posted on X, sharing a link to the DOJ&#8217;s official <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime">press release</a> on the matter.
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Today, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJusticeDept</a> sued Minnesota for using affirmative action to hire for its state agencies.
This is discriminatory DEI codified into bad state policy, and the Trump Administration will not stand for it. <a href="https://t.co/NcNHMftLwa">https://t.co/NcNHMftLwa</a>
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2011504118699807030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit today against the State of Minnesota challenging Minnesota’s requirement that all state agencies implement sex- and race-based affirmative action plans and consider &#8216;affirmative action goals on all staffing and personnel decisions,'&#8221; the release stated. &#8220;The State’s affirmative action program directs agencies to engage in employment practices that &#8216;balance&#8217; the sex and race composition of its workforce with the civilian labor force.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl">suit</a> was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and asserts that Minnesota&#8217;s mandatory affirmative action-based hiring practices violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).
&#8220;Because staffing is a zero-sum game, when Minnesota gives preferences to employees or prospective employees on the basis of their race, color, national origin, and sex, it inevitably and necessarily discriminates against other employees or prospective employees because of their race, color, national origin, and sex,&#8221; the filing stated, in part.
Bondi addressed the situation in Minnesota, saying that the lawsuit was just one way in which the DOJ was working from different angles to ensure that the state was not undermining federal policies — whether those policies pertained to enforcing immigration law, investigating fraud, or ensuring that federal efforts to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives were not being undermined.
&#8220;From suing over sanctuary city policies to a wide-ranging fraud investigation, today&#8217;s lawsuit is the Department of Justice&#8217;s latest effort to bring Minnesota into compliance with federal law,&#8221; Bondi explained. &#8220;Making hiring decisions based on immutable characteristics like race and sex is simple discrimination, and the Trump Administration has no tolerance for such DEI policies.&#8221;
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon — at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division — added, &#8220;For far too long, courts have allowed employers to discriminate based on race and sex when it is packaged as ‘affirmative action.’ The Supreme Court put an end to using race as a factor in college admissions through its Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision. This case is the next logical step. Title VII protects all people from race and sex discrimination in employment. There is no exception that allows discrimination against employees who aren’t considered ‘underrepresented.'&#8221;

Trump To Lay Out His Plan For Reducing Crime In Nation’s Capital

DOJ Sues Minnesota Over Affirmative Action Hiring Practices: ‘DEI Codified Into Bad State Policy’

Affirmative Action

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Pam Bondi

A new position will be created by the Justice Department to target fraud in Minnesota and across the country, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday.
Vance said that a new assistant attorney general position out of the Justice Department would be formed to focus on fraud in Minnesota. The announcement comes as there have been allegations of widespread fraud in Minnesota from fake daycare centers to other welfare fraud schemes.
“To make sure that we prosecute the bad guys and do it as swiftly and efficiently as possible &#8230; we are creating a new assistant attorney general position who will have nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,” Vance said at a press briefing. “Now, of course, that person&#8217;s efforts will start and focus primarily in Minnesota, but it is going to be a nationwide effort, because unfortunately, the American people have been defrauded in a very nationwide way.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> announces the Trump Administration will create a new Assistant Attorney General position who will have nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud — focusing first primarily in Minnesota, then expanding nationwide. <a href="https://t.co/QnU1pti7kM">pic.twitter.com/QnU1pti7kM</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2009334017250996436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Vance said the new position was part of the administration’s interagency efforts to go after fraud he said was present in states like California, Minnesota, and Ohio.
“If you&#8217;re a young parent struggling to afford childcare in the United States of America, there are programs that we have to make it easier for your kids to get in daycare, for your kids to get in preschool,” Vance said. “Those programs should go to American citizens, not be defrauded by Somali immigrants, and others.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said he welcomed the announcement from Vance.
&#8220;Pres Trump/VP Vance’s announcement of a new Asst Atty General at Dept of Justice focused on fraud is GR8 NEWS 4 the American taxpayer Once Pres Trump selects his nominee I look fwd 2 overseeing their nomination,&#8221; Grassley <a href="https://x.com/ChuckGrassley/status/2009336588908765616">posted</a> on X.
Allegations of fraud in Minnesota, especially perpetrated by Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, have been the focus of the Trump administration in recent weeks, with federal law enforcement surging to the area. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services paused all childcare payments to the state of Minnesota while it investigated allegations that millions of taxpayer dollars have been funneled to fraudulent daycares across the state throughout the past ten years.
Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-uncovers-another-400-million-in-suspected-minnesota-fraud?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=12&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Uncovers+Another+%24400+Million+In+Suspected+Minnesota+Fraud">said</a> last week that her team had identified around $400 million in loans that may have been fraudulently obtained through the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. As a result, 6,900 borrowers in Minnesota were suspended from participating in SBA loan programs and could face further punishment.
In a larger move, the department also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-freezes-welfare-funds-to-five-blue-states-over-fraud-concerns?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Freezes+Welfare+Funds+To+Five+Blue+States+Over+Fraud+Concerns">froze funding</a> for programs that provide childcare and food assistance in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York as officials probe whether the benefits are being illegally funneled to non-citizens. The specific programs being halted in those states are the Child Care Development Fund, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and the Social Services Block Grant program.

White House Holds News Conference

Vance Announces New Assistant Attorney General To Crack Down On Nationwide Fraud

Executive

Fraud

JD Vance

Somalis

A man convicted for his role in the January 6 Capitol protest says he spent years being tortured in jails under the Biden administration, with guards leaving him at the mercy of gangs who beat him for his political beliefs, and keeping him in solitary confinement for months.
Ryan Samsel said prison officials once strapped him to a chair for 17 hours in a gymnasium while groups of schoolchildren gawked at him, and forced him to live in a solitary confinement cell smeared with an MS-13 member&#8217;s feces, with no way to clean it. Someone anonymously called a hospital to cancel a needed medical procedure, he said.
During the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump highlighted Samsel as perhaps the most mistreated January 6 defendant, saying &#8220;These people are being persecuted. One defendant was allegedly viciously and savagely beaten, resulting in numerous broken bones in his face and loss of sight.&#8221;
Samsel has now filed a legal notice under the Federal Tort Claims Act alleging 62 instances of abuse and requesting $18 million in compensation, with his lawyer noting that the government even paid foreign terrorists when they faced abuse at Abu Ghraib prison.
The case raises questions about what the Trump administration might do for January 6 defendants who were pardoned after being physically, mentally, and financially broken.
&#8220;Nobody should forget what Biden did to these patriotic Americans, and a strong signal must be given that torturing citizens is simply not in the cards,&#8221; Samsel&#8217;s attorney, Peter Haller, told The Daily Wire, who called it cruel and unusual punishment.
Samsel was arrested January 30, 2021 for allegedly pushing a crowd control bike rack toward police officers. He remained in a series of jails and prisons until January 20, 2025, when Trump pardoned him.
Samsel was assaulted in the Washington, D.C., jail on March 21, 2021. Medical records from Howard University indicate that the assault led to reduced vision in his right eye and seizures, as well as exacerbation of an existing vascular condition, the filing said.
A D.C. judge &#8220;determined that Mr. Samsel should be transferred to an undisclosed jail for his protection and to receive the medical care he was entitled to. He was transferred to Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia,&#8221; the filing said.
At that jail, a cellmate called Samsel a terrorist and attacked him. A doctor there said that Samsel needed serious surgery, including the removal of two ribs due to blood clots, but the jail said it didn&#8217;t have the ability to provide him the necessary care.
Samsel was transferred in July 2021 to the Central Virginia Regional Jail, but none of his medical records followed him, and the recommendations of the University of Virginia doctor he saw there were never followed, his lawyer said.
While he was in the medical unit, a guard slammed his head into the ground; he woke up in a wheelchair being transferred to the hospital, the filing said. When he returned to the jail, he was placed in solitary confinement with the lights on at all times, &#8220;a known form of torture,&#8221; it continued.
&#8220;For approximately seventy to ninety days, Mr. Samsel was housed in reception in a cell that was three feet wide and six feet long. The cell was so small that he had to stand his mattress up to walk. When he asked the deputy warden why he was being kept in such confinement, he was told there was nowhere else to put him and that he was classified as a sex offender,&#8221; despite never having been charged with any sex crimes, the filing said.
&#8220;He could not see out, and the lights were left on at all times. He was never allowed out for exercise,&#8221; it continued.
<div id="attachment_1024019" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1024019" class="size-full wp-image-1024019" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/samsel3-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1444" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/samsel3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/samsel3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/samsel3-1021x576.jpg 1021w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/samsel3-768x433.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/samsel3-1536x867.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/samsel3-2048x1155.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Ryan Samsel</div>
After Virginia State Police documented that &#8220;Mr. Samsel&#8217;s face hit an officer&#8217;s knee&#8221; and the jail could not provide any evidence that Samsel was given an hour outside each day, which even the most dangerous criminals are supposed to get, he was ordered transferred again.
He was moved to Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia, where &#8220;guards stabbed his legs and ankles with keys, then rushed him toward the door and slammed his face and head into it. After the doors opened, he was punched repeatedly in the corridor in view of sixty to ninety inmates,&#8221; the filing said.
He was taken to a hospital which documented &#8220;a broken orbital and stab marks on his legs.&#8221; He called 911, and when authorities contacted the jail, an officer involved with the beating &#8220;acted as if he did not know who Mr. Samsel was,&#8221; the legal papers said.
At a hearing soon after, Samsel &#8220;had outbursts in court&#8221; detailing his treatment in jail, after which he &#8220;was placed in a restraint chair for approximately seventeen hours, on display for local school children to see through a window. He was left in the chair until he was unable to stand due to numbness, then dragged out by officers. He had to sit in his own waste,&#8221; the filing said.
Samsel was then transferred to a federal detention facility in Philadelphia, where &#8220;following a telephone call in which he expressed concerns regarding FBI corruption,&#8221; he was held in solitary confinement for 20 days, until he was moved to the Lewisburg prison.
&#8220;At Lewisburg Penitentiary, a physician initially recommended that Mr. Samsel be placed on house arrest due to the severity of his medical condition but later reversed his opinion after receiving pressure from government officials,&#8221; the filing said.
Haller said in an interview that Samsel &#8220;was not a flight risk, and denying him medical treatment appears to have been an intentional act.&#8221;
The day before a scheduled surgery, guards placed Samsel in &#8220;the hole,&#8221; and someone &#8220;anonymously called the surgeon assigned to his case and canceled all his medical appointments,&#8221; the filing said.
While in solitary confinement, he had to rotate rooms every 10 days, and was behind an MS-13 member &#8220;who would defecate all over his cell and smear it everywhere.&#8221; Samsel would be forced to clean it without any tools, and resorted to breathing down the drain for fresh air, the filing said.
Three months later, he was transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, one of the most notorious prisons in America, where he remained from 2022 to 2025. Samsel was housed in a violent gang unit designated for the Mac Baller gang, where he &#8220;attacked for his political beliefs,&#8221; the filing said, at one point forcing him to use dental floss to suture a wound.
Samsel, a devout Christian, was &#8220;denied access to religious services and was never permitted to have a Bible, despite repeated requests,&#8221; the filing said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has until May to decide whether she wants to settle the case, at which point Samsel can sue the government if the Justice Department declines. The Daily Wire has asked the Department of Justice if it has made any assessment about the case.

Ryan Samsel

January 6 Convict Says He Was Tortured In Prison Under Biden, Seeks $17 Million From Feds

January 6

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