This indictment alleges that right-wing commentators like Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and Lauren Southern — as part of the "Tenet Media" YouTube channel — have been unwittingly working for a Russian influence operation. https://t.co/O4DBYDeGGN
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) September 4, 2024
The indictment wasn’t leaked.
It was unsealed and announced as part of a press conference. pic.twitter.com/6YKtomNPhj
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) September 4, 2024
‘Beanie Boy’ Tim Pool and serial plagiarist Benny Johnson are two of the highest-ranked ‘Just Doing Our Own Research’ right-wing pests on social media. It’s probably true that they’d be almost as persistent in pushing Russian disinformation for free. But then again, it can be assumed that, given the lavish nature of the Wingnut Wurlitzer, they knew they’d never have to go unpaid… Per the Washington Post, “Justice Dept. charges two Russian media operatives in alleged scheme”[gift link]:
The Justice Department on Wednesday charged two Russian media executives in an alleged scheme that authorities say illegally funneled millions of dollars to a Tennessee-based company to create and publish propaganda videos that racked up millions of views on U.S. social media.
The 32-page federal indictment accuses Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, employees of RT, a Russian-state news site formerly known as Russia Today, of conducting a money-laundering operation that spent nearly $10 million on efforts to covertly influence public opinion and sow social divisions, including placing blame on Ukraine regarding the war with Russia.
Authorities said the U.S. company, which was not identified by name in the indictment, allegedly created and posted hundreds of English-language videos on social media sites, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X, a site formerly known as Twitter, that echoed Russian state propaganda and garnered 16 million views on YouTube alone.
Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva, Russian citizens who remain at large, were charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which is punishable by up to 20 years, authorities said…
The federal indictment doesn’t name the Tennessee-based company. But a quote from the company’s YouTube channel in the indictment describing it as a “a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues” suggest the business is Tenet Media.
Tenet is a Tennessee corporation founded by conservative commentator Lauren Chen, who goes by the name “Roaming Millennial” online and her husband, Liam Donovan. Chen, who also works as a host for Glenn Beck’s BlazeTV online video company and contributes to Turning Point USA, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The indictment alleges that at least two Tenet contributors were misled about the true source of the site’s funding, while the company’s co-founders knew the money came from Russia.
Tenet Media’s launch in November 2023 was hotly anticipated in the world of right-wing YouTube, a mega-channel combining the work of prominent pundits like Dave Rubin, Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, and Lauren Southern.
