Anti-ICE Protesters Sue Benny Johnson Over ‘Terrorist’ Claims
Protesters sue journalist for labeling them as terrorists during ICE raid coverage.
2 min read
Two anti-ICE protesters have filed a lawsuit against journalist Benny Johnson, accusing him of falsely labeling them as terrorists during a protest at the Broadview ICE Processing Center in Illinois. Maureen Foody, a contract court reporter, and Kyle Frankovich, a data scientist at Harvard, filed the case on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Accusations of False Statements
The suit names Johnson and Benny Media LLC, alleging that he knowingly made false statements about the protesters. The plaintiffs claim they were at a peaceful protest opposing the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz and were in a designated free-speech zone, with no violent actions reported.
Johnson was on scene with then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and then-Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. He filmed the protesters lined up on the street with their hands bound and described the scene in his posts. He referred to the protesters as “left-wing terrorists arrested for attacking police officers and ICE officers.”
In one clip, he stated, “These individuals assaulted ICE officers as they were trying to clear out the area behind us over here.” Another post from that day read, “I saw dozens of Democrat domestic terrorists arrested today for VIOLENT ASSAULT on federal law enforcement. Every activist here attacked ICE agents in broad daylight just for enforcing American law.”
Johnson also called the protesters criminals and domestic terrorists, claiming he had seen them act violently. The suit describes the videos as “political combat dressed up as news.”
Footage and Department of Homeland Security Use
Johnson’s post from the ride-along said he rode with Noem and ICE “on intense raids across left-wing violence-ridden Chicago,” from “tunnels under Trump Tower to the most targeted ICE facility,” and that they “faced violent Antifa, chaos, and criminals on the run.”
I rode with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE on intense raids across left-wing violence ridden Chicago.
The Department of Homeland Security later used footage of Frankovich’s arrest in recruiting materials. The protesters are seeking damages above $75,000, plus interest, attorney fees, costs, and punitive damages.
The Gateway Pundit has reached out to Johnson for comment. We will update this article if one is provided.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
