Conservative commentator Benny Johnson launched a fierce attack on The New York Times this week, accusing the paper of downplaying an arson incident that, he says, nearly killed his newborn child in Washington, DC.In a detailed post on X, Johnson said the Times dismissed the danger to his family, writing, “The angle was that there is no ‘proof’ that my newborn child was in any danger when our home in DC was severely damaged by an arsonist. So I’m posting the proof here.”He shared security footage allegedly showing DC police officers prying open his front door with a crowbar as neighbors shouted, “There’s a baby inside!” According to Johnson, black smoke filled his child’s nursery before his wife fled the home clutching their newborn. “This was the worst day of my life. I almost lost everything,” he wrote, adding that a neighboring house was destroyed and two dogs died in the blaze.Johnson said the fire left his row house uninhabitable, forcing the family to live in a hotel for months before relocating to Florida. He vowed legal action against The New York Times, warning: “Florida juries don’t take kindly to New York left-wing political assassins attacking innocent Floridian children. Tread lightly.”The controversy comes just days after Johnson occupied the “new media seat” at a White House press briefing, a slot that gave him the first question. Johnson used the moment to highlight what he called his personal experience with DC crime, claiming he had witnessed murders and survived an arson attack.But The New York Times disputed those claims, citing city records that show no murders on Johnson’s block since 2017, and noting that while a neighbor’s house was intentionally set on fire, his own was not. The paper also highlighted Johnson’s checkered career: a 2014 firing from BuzzFeed for plagiarism, further plagiarism allegations at Independent Journal Review, and his role in amplifying conspiracy theories, including false election claims.Despite this history, Johnson has amassed millions of followers across YouTube, X, and Instagram by producing viral political videos. He has also worked with Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Turning Point USA, and Newsmax TV.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Johnson’s intervention at the briefing, framing it as part of the administration’s push to expand federal control over policing in the capital. Critics, including the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said his prominent platforming reflects the administration’s preference for sympathetic influencers over traditional media scrutiny.Johnson, however, framed the clash as proof of his political relevance. “You should judge a man by his enemies,” he wrote. “I’m proud to have the New York Times work so hard on a hit piece about me. It’s a badge of honor.”
