Why Don Lemon Could Still Face Charges for Storming Minnesota Church [WATCH]

Don Lemon may have thought he was in the clear — but Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett says Attorney General Pam Bondi still has plenty of ammo to come after the former CNN host after he allegedly stormed a church service Sunday.

Jarrett told Sean Hannity on Thursday that Bondi has multiple options to pursue charges, even after a magistrate denied an application for an arrest warrant against Lemon.

“Rejecting the charges against Don Lemon smells fishy to me. We may actually learn more about the magistrate’s motivation, bias and conflict of interest,” Jarrett told Hannity.

Jarrett said the magistrate would have had to find the DOJ didn’t meet the standard for probable cause — and argued that personal disagreement isn’t a valid reason to block charges.

“Legally, the magistrate would have to decide that these prosecutors did not meet the standard of probable cause. But personally disagreeing with the wisdom of or fairness of bringing the case, it’s not a valid ground for overriding the charging decisions,” Jarrett said.

“So, Sean, I thoroughly expect the DOJ to do one of two things. Either bypass that magistrate by going to a grand jury for an indictment against Don Lemon or go to a real district court judge, because a magistrate is really just a ministerial assistant. He handles misdemeanors and warrants and empties the trash cans.”

Jarrett said prosecutors clearly believe Lemon wasn’t merely observing the incident — but actively taking part.

“Obviously here, prosecutors felt Don Lemon was not merely an observer, recording the illegal protest inside of the church, which would be a typical journalist role,” Jarrett said. “Instead, he seemed to be a very active participant, who embedded himself with the mob, tormenting these parishioners.”

Jarrett pointed to Lemon’s own footage as the biggest problem for Lemon.

“In fact, Lemon’s own videotape incriminates him, as he confronts the pastor with contentious questions, the same way the agitators did,” Jarrett said.

“And you can see and hear Lemon defending them all and taking up their cause, arguing that they are allowed to invade the church, disrupt the service, shut down worshipers, which shows a stunning ignorance of the law by Lemon.”

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon told podcaster Benny Johnson on Monday that Lemon may be subject to charges for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, despite Lemon’s claim he was simply acting as a journalist.

And Jarrett said Lemon’s comments afterward only deepened the hole.

“This is a protected place, off limits, everybody knows that. It is a crime to invade and obstruct and, to make matters worse, Lemon later called the congregants entitled white supremacists,” Jarrett said.

“It’s not just despicable, it shows they were targeted because of their race, which only strengthens the criminal civil rights violations under the FACE Act and 247.”

Then came the nuclear label.

“In fact, it qualifies as a hate crime, a double hate crime, because the targets were based on race and religion.”

Watch the clip above.