Pro-Trump media figure Benny Johnson sued for defamation by protesters over 'left-wing terrorists' claim

Pro-Trump media figure Benny Johnson is being sued for defamation by protesters who say he falsely portrayed them as "left-wing terrorists" who had assaulted federal officers.

One plaintiff, Kyle Frankovich, had never heard of Johnson before the podcaster and online influencer posted video of Frankovich and a row of other protesters detained outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Ill. last October. "These individuals assaulted ICE officers as they were trying to clear out the area behind us over here," said Johnson in one video.

Johnson knew that wasn't true, according to a lawsuit filed by Frankovich and another protester on Friday. Frankovich was observing and recording video of the ICE agents from a designated "free speech" area when he was thrown to the ground and arrested. He and his co-plaintiff, Maureen Foody, were released without charges.

Images of Frankovich with his hands zip-tied behind him, with his distinctive tattoos visible, were later used in recruiting material by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Frankovich is a data scientist who works for Harvard University and Foody is a court reporter. In their complaint, both say they've lived with fears of violent attacks and professional consequences since being called terrorists in Johnson's videos.

"[Frankovich] and his partner do not take walks alone anymore. He has made his social media private and uses a Google service to flag whenever his address is made available online," the lawsuit reads.

Johnson has millions of social media followers and his footage was aired on Fox News. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Johnson made the videos while embedded with then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and then Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino.

"It's clear that the administration's goal is to delegitimize all political opposition, and particularly to delegitimize the really mass movement of the general public that disapproves of the administration's actions and has demonstrated that in a variety of ways," said Rachel Goodman, special counsel with Protect Democracy, a legal non-profit that's worked on similar defamation cases who is not involved in the lawsuit.

While federal government officials are generally immune from defamation suits, the claims against Johnson highlight a pattern the Trump administration has used to control the information environment, said Goodman. In addition to undermining nonpartisan journalism and media, Goodman said "the other part of that strategy is its propaganda strategy … working very closely with influencers who are politically aligned and sort of administration allies to actually bring them in to create content."