Pro-Trump Influencer Benny Johnson is being sued for defamation by ICE protesters
Protesters Kyle Frankovich and Maureen Foody have filed a defamation lawsuit against pro-Trump media figure Benny Johnson. They say his online videos wrongly depicted them as left-wing terrorists who attacked federal officers.
Johnson recorded the videos last October outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, while accompanying then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. One video claimed the protesters had assaulted ICE officers.
Frankovich says he was filming agents from a designated free-speech area when he was forced to the ground and arrested. He and Foody were both released without charges.
The lawsuit says the videos have led to fears of physical attacks and damage to the plaintiffs’ careers. Frankovich also says social media users falsely identified him as a Chicago antifa leader.
Images of Frankovich in restraints were later used in ICE recruitment materials, according to the article. The lawsuit now puts Johnson’s portrayal of the protesters at issue; the article does not describe any next steps in the case.
Key points
- Frankovich and Foody say Johnson falsely portrayed them as terrorists who attacked federal officers.
- Both protesters were arrested near the Broadview ICE facility and released without charges.
- Frankovich says the videos fueled false online claims and concerns about personal and professional harm.