Jennifer Welch Smears Minnesota Churchgoers as ‘White Nationalists’ After Their Sunday Service Is Stormed by Left-Wing Mob

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Liberal commentator Jennifer Welch falsely accused attendees at a Minnesota Baptist church of being “white nationalists” on Monday after their Sunday service was stormed by an anti-ICE mob.

Speaking to former CNN host Don Lemon about the incident on her I’ve Had It podcast, Welch – a regular guest on CNN – said:

That is one of those white evangelical churches that turn out to vote for Donald Trump – 80%+ of that sect of Christianity. These are the “Don’t Tread on Me” folks. These are the people who feel like America is for Americans and American only. These are white nationalists. And the DOJ got their panties in a wad because these protesters went straight to them and addressed their hypocrisy.

Addressing the potential charges against Lemon for livestreaming the incident alongside protesters, Welch continued, “You, a gay, black journalist, are, I mean, prime bait for them to drum up these charges. But that’s one issue. You went right into the most entitled white nationalists there are, and they feel that ICE is 100% justified.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche threatened to charge Lemon over his involvement in the incident on Sunday, declaring, “He doesn’t get a ‘get out of jail free’ card because he’s self-described as a journalist.”

“The freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas. It does not extend to somebody just trespassing and being embedded with a group of rioters and being part of a group that storms a church,” said Blanche. “So, as our assistant attorney general said yesterday, we are absolutely investigating that conduct and the fact that that man, that Mr. Lemon thought that was a good idea to do that, and then to race away from it saying it was freedom of the press, we’ll see. We’ll see.”

Department of Justice official Harmeet Dhillon also suggested that Lemon could face charges under the Enforcement Act of 1871, better known as the Ku Klux Klan Act – a Reconstruction-era law designed to protect civil rights.

Dhillon advised Lemon to “lawyer up” during an interview with Glenn Beck on Monday.

While Lemon has argued that he was merely embedded in the mob in his role as a journalist, he also expressed support for the protesters and criticized the pastor at the church.

The storming of the church service was widely condemned on social media, including by Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, who called the protesters’ actions “unacceptable.”

“I don’t care what is animating or annoying you, I don’t care what your political persuasion might be, invading a church is unacceptable and is a violation of religious liberty,” he wrote.

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