DOJ alleges Russia funded US media company linked to right-wing social media stars

[Timber Rattler]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/09/04/politics/doj-alleges-russia-funded-company-linked-social-media-stars

The unnamed Tennessee-based company that the Justice Department alleges was being funded by Russian operatives working as part of a Kremlin-orchestrated influence operation targeting the 2024 US election is Tenet Media, which is linked to right-wing commentators with millions of subscribers on YouTube and other social media platforms, according to a US official briefed on the matter.

The indictment unsealed in New York’s Southern District accused two employees of RT, the Kremlin’s media arm, of funneling nearly $10 million to an unidentified company, described only as “Company 1” in court documents.

CNN has independently confirmed that “Company 1” is Tenet Media, which is a platform for independent content creators. It is self-described as a “network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues,” according to its website, which matches language contained in the newly unsealed indictment.

The alleged Russian operation tapped two people to set up the company in their names to add to its legitimacy and the two founders were aware Russian money backed the operation, according to the indictment.

The goal of the operation, according to prosecutors, was to fuel pro-Russian narratives, in part, by pushing content and news articles favoring Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others who the Kremlin deemed to be friendlier to its interests.

Among the commentators listed on Tenet Media’s website are right-wing personalities Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin. All have released statements saying they were victims of the alleged Russian scheme and they maintained editorial control of the content they created.

Each has a loyal fanbase online, with a combined roughly 6 million followers on YouTube alone. Pool interviewed Trump on his podcast in May.

Wednesday’s indictment outlined how the American social media stars were hired by Tenet Media. Some of the creators were told the project was being bankrolled by a man named Eduard Grigoriann. “In truth and fact,” the indictment reads, “Grigoriann was a fictional persona.”

EXCERPT

It seems that the front organization for all the Russian money has been exposed...

More:

Blaze Fires YouTube Contributor Linked to Alleged Russian Influence Campaign

https://www.yahoo.com/news/blaze-fires-youtube-contributor-linked-172314527.html

Blaze Media, a conservative media company, has cut ties with YouTube contributor Lauren Chen after she was linked to an alleged Russian influence operation that was exposed by the U.S. Department of Justice this week.

An indictment filed Wednesday by the DOJ alleges that a group of right-wing influencers — including Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson — was being secretly funded by Russian state media employees to provide content that was aligned with the Kremlin’s political interests in the U.S.

“Lauren Chen was an independent contractor, whose contract has been terminated,” Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon told TheWrap in a Thursday statement.

Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan, cofounded Tenet Media, which was seemingly connected to the funneling of funds from Russian sources, paying influencers massive sums for content that included Russian propaganda talking points, according to the indictment.

Neither Chen nor Donovan are named in the DOJ’s indictment, instead charging two Russians linked to Russia Today, the state-owned and operated TV organization, with violations of foreign influence regulations and money laundering. The accusations include the funneling of nearly $10 million to a Tennessee-based content creation company in exchange for Russian propaganda content.

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I don't think it was about the election at all but Ukraine.

[Free Vulcan]

Sounds like the DOJ is up to it's old Rat proxy election interference antics again.

Call me when they start going after Chinese influence over the Rats.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Is this lady noticably pro-Russian? Because Blaze may have wanted to fire her for a while if they didn't even attempt to fight this.

[GtHawk]

Gutfeld was talking about this on his show last and said that everything they are calling out as Russian disinformation seem to be the things they routinely talk about on Fox.  Interesting.

[Ghost Bear]

Why is anyone on this board trusting anything that Joe Biden's Department of Justice has to say? 

[Timber Rattler]

Why is anyone on this board trusting anything that Joe Biden's Department of Justice has to say?

Because they've got subpoenaed documents this time proving that Tenet was being funded by Russia Today (RT), which is Russian State Media, just like Sputnik and TASS.

You can read the indictment here:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1366266/dl

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-rt-employees-indicted-covertly-funding-and-directing-us-company-published-thousands

In order to carry out RT’s secret influence campaign in the United States, Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva operated under covert identities at U.S. Company-1. Posing as an outside editor, Kalashnikov edited U.S. Company-1 content, monitored U.S. Company-1’s funding and hiring, and introduced Afanasyeva as a member of his purported editing team. Using the fake personas Helena Shudra and Victoria Pesti, Afanasyeva posted and directed the posting by U.S. Company-1 of hundreds of videos. Afanasyeva also collected information from and gave instructions to U.S. Company-1  staff. For example, after the March 22, 2024, terrorist attack on a music venue in Moscow, Afanasyeva asked one of U.S. Company-1’s founders to blame Ukraine and the United States for the attack, writing: “I think we can focus on the Ukraine/U.S. angle. . . . [T]he mainstream media spread fake news that ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack yet ISIS itself never made such statements. All terrorists are now detained while they were heading to the border with Ukraine which makes it even more suspicious why they would want to go to Ukraine to hide.”

Between in or about October 2023 and in or about August 2024, RT sent wire transfers to U.S. Company-1 totaling approximately $9.7 million, which represented nearly 90% of U.S. Company-1’s bank deposits from all sources combined. The wires were sent from shell companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Mauritius, and were often accompanied by wire notes ascribing the payments to the purchase of electronics. For example, the wire note for a $318,800 wire payment from a shell entity in Turkey to U.S. Company-1 on March 1, read: “BUYING GOODS-INV.013-IPHONE 15 PRO MAX 512GB.”

U.S. Company-1 never disclosed to its viewers that it was funded and directed by RT. Nor did U.S. Company-1 or its two founders register with the Attorney General as an agent of a foreign principal.

[catfish1957]

Gutfeld was talking about this on his show last and said that everything they are calling out as Russian disinformation seem to be the things they routinely talk about on Fox.  Interesting.

Gutfeld is the one of the best and funniest pundits on our side right now.  His gay-ish schtick gets old, but his daily monologues are biting, spot on, and whacks our liberal enemies up side the head like a 2 x 4.

I see that Gutfeld is married to a Russian, but if he is part of this faction, he is hiding it pretty well.    And like @Ghost Bear said.  Can we believe even one single thing from this perpetually lying DOJ?

[Timber Rattler]

Is this lady noticably pro-Russian? Because Blaze may have wanted to fire her for a while if they didn't even attempt to fight this.

Yeah, she is, and The Blaze has been pro-Russian for a while now too.

She (via her firm Tenet) was a contractor so The Blaze could have terminated her contract at anytime for cause (like it suddenly did yesterday after they got caught).

[Ghost Bear]

Because they've got subpoenaed documents this time proving that Tenet was being funded by Russia Today (RT), which is Russian State Media, just like Sputnik and TASS.

You can read the indictment here:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1366266/dl

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-rt-employees-indicted-covertly-funding-and-directing-us-company-published-thousands

"Indictment" is not the same as "convicted in a court of law".

I'll wait for the outcome of the trial.

[Timber Rattler]

"Indictment" is not the same as "convicted in a court of law".

I'll wait for the outcome of the trial.

Did you actually read the indictment and see the documentary evidence presented?

In their private correspondence, while working directly for RT pursuant to Founder-1 's written contract, Founder-1 and Founder-2 regularly referred to their sponsor (i.e., RT) as the "Russians." For example, on or about May 12, 2021 , Founder-2 messaged Founder-1 on Discord: "So we're billing the Russians from the corporation, right?" On or about May 22, 2021 , Founder-1 messaged Founder-2 on Discord: "Also, the Russians paid. So we're good to bill them for the second month I guess." On or about June 2, 2021 , Founder-1 messaged Founder6 2 on Discord: "also I say we bill the russians for the last month once we're done the extra opeds," referring to Founder-1 's paid opinion articles for RT. And on or about January 5, 2022, Founder-2 messaged an acquaintance on Discord about paid leave that "[t]he Russians" had offered to Founder-1

I know this is a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of Conservatives but for those of us who have been following the Ukraine War since the beginning, we knew something like this was going on somewhere.

[catfish1957]

I know this is a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of Conservatives but for those of us who have been following the Ukraine War since the beginning, we knew something like this was going on somewhere.

I've been especially disappointed in Carlson.  From the top of the heap to this?  Just wondered what he had to gain.

[Ghost Bear]

Did you actually read the indictment and see the documentary evidence presented?

I know this is a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of Conservatives but for those of us who have been following the Ukraine War since the beginning, we knew something like this was going on somewhere.

I'm not swallowing anything the Biden DOJ has to say. We've been through "Russia! Russia! Russia!" before. That isn't to say that I'm not also annoyed by supposed "conservatives" thinking Putin is an A-OK guy. Whether they are being paid to think that way or they honestly hold that position, I still disagree with it.

What I'm saying is, I will wait for the outcome of the trial before denouncing anyone on the Right, based on an accusation by the Left.

[Free Vulcan]

I know this is a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of Conservatives but for those of us who have been following the Ukraine War since the beginning, we knew something like this was going on somewhere.

Ukraine is also a master of propaganda, corruption, and the grift. It's like favoring Beezulbub over the Devil.

Considering the level of Chinese and Ukrainian influence of this Admin and the Rats in general, this small potatoes tempest in a teacup seems far more like a deliberate attempt to distract and interfere in the election again with Russia! Russia! Russia!

[Timber Rattler]

UPDATE

Tim Pool Tells Ben Shapiro ‘Russia Sucks,’ He’s ‘Pissed’ About DOJ Claim That Tenet Was Funded By Russia

https://www.dailywire.com/news/tim-pool-tells-ben-shapiro-russia-sucks-hes-pissed-about-doj-claim-that-tenet-was-funded-by-russia

Political commentator Tim Pool told Ben Shapiro on Friday that he was unaware that the founders of a media company that licensed one of his talk shows were being paid by Russians, and was blindsided by the allegations from the Department of Justice earlier this week.

In his first interview since the DOJ indictment, Pool, the host of the popular Timcast show, reiterated on “The Ben Shapiro Show” that he had very limited contact with Tenet Media, which is accused by federal prosecutors of secretly taking money from Russians and licensed one of his spin-off shows called the “Culture War” podcast. He also explained that Tenet, which was founded by conservative commentator Lauren Chen, didn’t even have exclusive rights to his show, much less editorial input on it.

“That’s the crazy thing, it’s not even an exclusive show, it’s not exclusive, we published it other places, we own all the rights for it,” Pool said. “And so now we get entrenched in whatever this is, and I’m just like, nah, I don’t have anything to do with this. I don’t know what it is Lauren Chen was doing. I’m quite perturbed by the allegations. I don’t know what will turn out to be true, but I’m pissed.”

EXCERPT

https://twitter.com/i/status/1832144206552236462

[Bigun]

Why is anyone on this board trusting anything that Joe Biden's Department of Justice has to say?

 

[Bigun]

"Indictment" is not the same as "convicted in a court of law".

I'll wait for the outcome of the trial.

I'm with you 100% @Ghost Bear the Southern District of New York federal court system is a complete joke (on us). There is zero credibility to be found there.

[dfwgator]

"Indictment" is not the same as "convicted in a court of law".

I'll wait for the outcome of the trial.

[PeteS in CA]

Does the same skepticism about evidence-based claims that company was funded by Russia apply to evidence-free claims that a person or company is funded by China? Or is funded by Big-Bogey-Pharma?  Or is funded by Bogey-Bill-Gates?

Back on topic, a court will decide whether or not Tenet was funded by Russia and Tenet illegally failed to register as an agent representing Russia. As for the individuals paid to do contract work for Tenet, did those individuals know Tenet was paid by Russia? Or is checking for illegal foreign representation by a contractor simply not their normal business process?