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Russia paid well-known right wing media for propaganda, according to the DOJ

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

According to Garland, this company paid thousands of dollars to far-right influencers to spread pro-Russian propaganda and influence the 2024 presidential elections on social networks and YouTube.

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The Justice Department has indicted 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.

The indictment revealed in New York accuses two employees of RT, the Kremlin’s media arm, of transferring $10 million to an unidentified company, listed as “Company 1” in the court documents.

However, according to CNN, it would appear that this company is actually Tenet Media.

On its website, Tenet Media describes itself as a network of commentators focused on Western political and cultural issues. Its mission is to support creators who challenge institutions, and to promote rigorous and honest debate on current issues.

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Lauren Southern

Tenet Media features several influencers, including Lauren Southern, described as a Canadian journalist, documentary filmmaker, author and mother who has appeared on Fox News and Sky News.

Southern, who previously worked for Rebel Media, a right-wing Canadian media outlet, has 147,000 followers on Instagram, 562,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and 712,000 subscribers on YouTube.

She has generally tackled Canadian propaganda topics, but in the Tenet Media category of her YouTube account, she asserts that the justice system has failed Derek Chauvin (the police officer who took George Floyd’s life) and criticizes the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, among other things.

Tim Pool

Also according to the Tenet Media website, Tim Pool, a podcast host based in West Virginia, is considered a credible journalist and has, according to his description, collaborated with Fox News, NBC, Reuters, MSNBC, Al Jazeera and BBC News.

Tim Pool has over 400,000 followers on Instagram, 1.37 million subscribers on YouTube and 2.1 million followers on X (Twitter) and focuses mainly on American politics with right-wing positions.

He claims in a statement to have been unaware of Tenet Media’s ties to Russia, but through his videos he proves to be a strong critic of aid to Ukraine.

Tim Pool was also recently targeted by the Kamala Harris campaign, which broadcast one of his videos in which he claimed that Trump had every right to imprison elected Democrats. Pool has said he will defend himself in court.

Tayler Hansen

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

Matt Christiansen is a political commentator from Montana. 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.

With 215,000 subscribers on YouTube, he very often covers topics involving Democratic elected officials, January 6 prosecutors, the Black Lives Matter movement, Dr. Anthony Fauci, as well as various other topics related to popular conspiracy theories.

Dave Rubin

Tenet Media also features Dave Rubin, a New York Times bestselling author, humorist and television 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.

Benny Johnson

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 millions of subscribers.

Johnson has 2.7 million subscribers 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.

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