A look at the influencers linked to Russia in latest DOJ case

Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General, revealed in an official announcement the details of a covert operation as the U.S. discovered that Russia had set up a sophisticated pro-Russian propaganda plan by transferring millions of dollars to Tenet Media, a U.S. media company, which employed influencers with several million subscribers.

The Justice Department has charged two individuals, imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and entities, and seized 32 Internet domains linked to these harmful activities, which the department claims were orchestrated at the request of the Russian government.

Tenet Media highlights several influencers, including Lauren Southern, introduced as a Canadian journalist. She has appeared on Fox News and generally covers topics related to Canadian and American propaganda. On her YouTube account, where she has 712,000 subscribers, she is listed in the Tenet Media category.

Also according to the Tenet Media site, Tim Pool, a podcast host who has collaborated with several media outlets, with over 1.37 million subscribers on YouTube and 2.1 million followers on X (Twitter) and focuses mostly on American politics with right-wing positions.

Also on Tenet Media, Tayler Hansen is presented as a field journalist. He has 173,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and, through his right-wing content, shares Tenet Media posts illustrating altercations and civil protests in the US on social networks.

Matt Christiansen is a political commentator from Montana with 215,000 subscribers on YouTube. He first gained popularity in 2016 through his YouTube channel, where he offers analysis of current events, with a particular focus on constitutional philosophy, according to Tenet Media.

Tenet Media also offers Dave Rubin, a New York Times bestselling author, humorist and TV personality best known for his political commentary. He is the host of The Rubin Report on YouTube. With 1.5 million followers on X (twitter) and 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube, Rubin’s interviews include such staunch Trump supporters and Democratic critics as Dennis Quaid, Roseanne Barr and Russell Brand.

Finally, the last influencer highlighted by Tenet Media, Florida-born Benny Johnson, is known for his podcast The Benny Show. He broadcasts live every day to his 2.7 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) and 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube, where he tackles various topics related to American politics, including pro-Trump and anti-Kamala Harris positions.

Of these influencers singled out by the DOJ, several have already commented on the situation and present themselves as victims of this Russian plot… but they were paid by Tenet Media, which, for its part, received nearly $10 million for this operation. In response to these accusations, Vladimir Putin has declared his support for Kamala Harris.