How did you think MAGAt media figures would responding to the news that several of their colleagues and enablers were working on behalf of Russia? Why, by spouting absurd conspiracy theories and attacking the law enforcement officials who uncovered the scheme, accusing them of trying to steal the election for Kamala Harris! Via Media Matters:
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday a multidepartment effort to target Russian-backed attempts to interfere with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, including criminal charges against two Russian nationals, sanctions against 10 other individuals and entities, and the seizure of 32 internet domains.
A released indictment details how two RT employees allegedly financed a U.S.-based media company, which reports have subsequently identified as Tenet Media, a right-wing media operation that has employed prominent MAGA influencers including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Lauren Southern. MAGA personality Lauren Chen and her husband have been identified as the founders of the company. Only the two RT employees were charged in the indictment.
At Russian President Vladimir Putin’s direction, three Russian companies used fake profiles to promote false narratives on social media, US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. Internal documents produced by one of those Russian companies show one of the goals of the propaganda effort was to boost the candidacy of Donald Trump or whoever emerged as the Republican nominee for president, according to an FBI affidavit.
Separately, two employees of RT, the Russian state media network, were indicted in a US court for allegedly being part of a scheme that funneled nearly $10 million to set up and direct a Tennessee-based front company to produce online content aimed at sowing divisions among Americans, according to the Justice Department. The scheme targeted millions of American news consumers with what Attorney General Merrick Garland described as “hidden Russian government messaging.”
A Tennessee-based media network that produces shows for high-profile right-wing influencers such as Benny Johnson and Tim Pool was largely funded by Russian state-backed news network RT, according to a federal indictment against two RT employees that the US Department of Justice unsealed on Wednesday. The DOJ claims the US company—which WIRED, along with other news outlets, was able to identify as Tenet Media but goes unnamed in the indictment—posted hundreds of videos on social media that pushed Kremlin-approved talking points.
With the tagline “Fearless voices live here,” Tenet Media’s network includes online creators known for their right-wing politics, including Johnson, Pool, Dave Rubin, and Lauren Southern. In addition to the followings of the network’s individual creators, which collectively number in the millions, Tenet Media itself boasts more than 315,000 followers on YouTube and thousands more across Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.
Johnson, Pool, Rubin, and Southern did not immediately respond to requests for comment; none are accused of wrongdoing.
NOT US! YOU'RE LYING! YOU'RE TRYING TO STEAL THE ELECTION! Etc.
