A Harvard University data scientist and a court reporter have filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, claiming he falsely branded them as violent extremists after their detention during protests at an Illinois immigration facility.
According to sources, Kyle Frankovich and Maureen Foody allege in their complaint that Johnson deliberately misrepresented the circumstances surrounding their October 3, 2025 detention outside the Broadview immigration detention center.
The lawsuit targets content Johnson published across multiple platforms, including X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Rumble, which collectively attracted millions of views.
According to the complaint, Frankovich and Foody were peacefully demonstrating in a designated free-speech zone when federal agents pushed, struck and forced protesters to the ground before detaining them without provocation. Both were held for approximately eight hours and released without charges.
Johnson, who accompanied then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino on a visit to the Broadview facility that day, characterized the detained protesters very differently. In videos from the scene, he is shown addressing demonstrators while federal agents stand between him and the crowd.
“These are exactly the kind of people that we want to be pissing off,” Johnson said in one video. “It’s your tears that keep us going.”
In subsequent content, Johnson referred to detained protesters including Frankovich and Foody as “left-wing [ ] arrested for attacking police officers and ICE officers.”
On X, Johnson wrote: “I saw dozens of Democrat domestic [ ] arrested today for ASSAULT on federal law enforcement. Every activist here attacked ICE agents in broad daylight just for enforcing American law.” That post reportedly received 1.7 million views.
The lawsuit describes Johnson’s content as “political combat dressed up as news” and alleges he knowingly misrepresented what happened. Johnson published at least seven posts about his Broadview visit, according to the report. The complaint also cites comments suggesting detained protesters should be physically harmed.
Frankovich told that commenters speculated about his identity and attempted to locate him. He had regularly participated in community support activities with his wife, including distributing whistles, providing security for families at schools and attending protests at Broadview.
“Being assaulted and detained was itself traumatizing,” Frankovich said. “Then, for several days later, to see myself used in propaganda to recruit additional ICE agents to continue to attack my community?”
“You shouldn’t get to lie about me,” he added, calling the situation “disgusting.”
Adding to the case, the Department of Homeland Security reportedly used a photograph of Frankovich being detained in a recruitment message for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The image showed him restrained with zip ties, with his distinctive tattoos visible. DHS captioned the photograph with “FAFO,” an acronym for a vulgar phrase meaning there are consequences for one’s actions.
The accompanying text stated: “We will NOT allow activist to lay hands on our law enforcement.” The post included a link to the ICE recruitment website.
Frankovich is among dozens of U.S. citizens and legal residents who have filed complaints with DHS concerning alleged harms during Operation Midway Blitz, including claims of excessive force and unlawful detention. The use of his photograph in the recruitment post is separate from the defamation allegations against Johnson.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to reports.
The case appears to be the first defamation lawsuit against a member of the Trump administration’s informal network of aligned influencers arising from its immigration enforcement activities.
The second Trump administration has granted access to government officials and immigration enforcement operations to a network of conservative online creators. In 2025, Johnson was invited to occupy a designated “new media” seat in the White House briefing room and participated in accompanying DHS and ICE officials on operations.
Johnson previously worked as a conservative writer for BuzzFeed and was dismissed over plagiarism. He later produced content for Turning Point USA before establishing his own online video channels.
