Joe Scarborough was corrected on-air by Marjorie Taylor Greene on “Real Time With Bill Maher” after he repeatedly incorrectly named the “FACE Act” while discussing Don Lemon’s arrest.
Scarborough and Greene were both panelists on Maher’s Friday episode on HBO, where they shared their conflicting stances on the arrest of Lemon, who attended an anti-ICE protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month.
Lemon faces charges under two federal statutes, including conspiracy to deprive rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinics Act (FACE), which partially prevents people from interfering with someone’s First Amendment rights to religious freedom.
Greene made clear that she “fully supports” the Justice Department’s decision to prosecute the independent journalist, claiming Lemon violated the FACE Act by disrupting places of worship and comparing parishioners to “white supremacists.”
“This is not journalism, this is activism,” said the former congresswoman from Georgia. “It’s a violation of the Face Act to disrupt worship services and prevent people from worshiping God… I don’t think that’s journalism. Going into a church and harassing people, that’s not the First Amendment.”
After Green summarized her case, Scarborough tried to make her own case, but initially struggled to pin down the specifics of the case.
“If I may disagree, I think that if under the Faith Act, anyone entering a church is a protester,” Scarborough said, pointing to Greene for support.
Green was quick to correct that, pointing to the FACE Act. Scarborough didn’t seem to hear her, however, as he repeated the “Act of Faith” again.
Greene fact-checked Scarborough again, telling the TV personality that the federal law is called the “FACE Act.”
“Faith, yes,” Scarborough shot back. The two former politicians argued over the name several more times until Scarborough realized his mistake.
“oh, Face,” he said. “I thought it was ‘You have to have faith,’ because it was [a] church. “
As the audience at Maher’s studio erupted in laughter, Green added, “Parishioners, Christians who have faith, they try to build a church, and Don Lemon and a bunch of activists come in and harass them until the kids cry.”
However, Scarborough emphasized his stance, sharing: “Whatever the act is, whether it’s the FACE Act, the Faith Act, the Fake Act, whatever it is, I think people who come in and disrupt a church, if [DOJ] Want to prosecute them, that’s certainly their right to consider that. “
He continued: “I think there has to be some kind of difference between if someone goes in and says, ‘I’m not with them. Can I ask you some questions?’ Because you’re immersed in the war, you’re immersed in the protests.” “
According to Scarborough, there was “no doubt” that he arrested journalists Lemon and Georgian Fort “in an effort to scare other journalists.”
Lemon echoed similar sentiments after his release on Friday, sharing with reporters: “There has never been a more important time for a free and independent press to expose the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
He added: “Last night, the Department of Justice sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for what I’ve been doing for the past 30 years – reporting the news. The First Amendment protects this job for me and countless other journalists… I will not be silenced.”
“Real Time With Bill Maher” will air new episodes on HBO Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
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