A pair of Illinois residents, Kyle Frankovich, a data scientist at Harvard University, and Maureen Foody, a court reporter, have filed a defamation suit against right‑wing commentator Benny Johnson. The plaintiffs allege that Johnson, who has more than 10 million followers on X and YouTube, falsely portrayed them as “left‑wing terrorists” who attacked federal immigration officers during a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in suburban Chicago.
According to the complaint, Johnson recorded a video while riding along with then‑Border Patrol Commander‑at‑Large Gregory Bovino and the Department of Homeland Security. In the footage, he describes the protesters as “illegal, criminal, violent terrorists” and claims that they “assaulted ICE officers” as authorities cleared the area. The video also shows the plaintiffs with their hands bound behind their backs, a claim the lawsuit says is untrue.
The plaintiffs say they were arrested while peacefully exercising First Amendment rights, singing, praying, holding signs and recording official activity. They were detained for hours, injured, and released without charges. The lawsuit asserts that Johnson knowingly made false statements to grow his social media following and advance his political agenda.
Johnson’s work is described in the suit as “political combat dressed up as news.” He rose to prominence as a Turning Point USA personality after leaving BuzzFeed, where he was fired for plagiarism. The lawsuit is the first defamation case linked to the Trump‑era surge of federal agents supporting mass deportation efforts and the use of social media to vilify demonstrators.
