American right-wing influencers duped to work for covert Russian influence operation — prosecutors

They have millions of followers online, they have been major players in right-wing political discourse since Donald Trump was US president, and they worked unknowingly for a company that was a front for a Kremlin influence operation, US prosecutors say.

An indictment filed on Wednesday alleges a media company linked to six conservative influencers — including well-known personalities Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson — was secretly funded by Russian state media employees.

The company would use the money to churn out English-language videos that were “often consistent” with the Kremlin’s “interest in amplifying US domestic divisions in order to weaken US opposition” to Moscow’s interests, like its war in Ukraine, according to the indictment.

In addition to marking the third straight presidential election in which US authorities have unveiled politically charged details about Russia’s attempted interference in US politics, the indictment indicates how Moscow may be attempting to capitalise on the skyrocketing popularity of right-wing podcasters, live streamers and other content creators who have found successful careers on social media in the years since Trump was in office.

The US Department of Justice doesn’t allege any wrongdoing by the influencers, some of whom it says were given false information about the source of the company’s funding.

Instead, it accuses two employees of Russian state-controlled media company RT of funnelling nearly $10 million (€9m) to a Tennessee-based content creation company for Russia-friendly content.

After the indictments were announced, both Pool and Johnson issued statements on social media, which Rubin retweeted, saying they were victims of the alleged crimes and had done nothing wrong.

“We still do not know what is true as these are only allegations,” Pool said. “Putin is a scumbag.”

In his post, Johnson wrote that he had been asked a year ago to provide content to a “media startup”. He said his lawyers negotiated a “standard, arms-length deal, which was later terminated”.

The RT employees, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. They are at large, and it was not immediately clear if they had lawyers.

US officials have previously warned of Russia’s use of unwitting Americans to further influence operations in the 2024 election, but Wednesday’s indictment is the most detailed description of those efforts to date. Intelligence officials have said Moscow has a preference for Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised influence operations to help Trump in the 2020 election, while his 2016 campaign benefitted from hacking by Russian intelligence officers and a covert social media effort, according to US law enforcement and intelligence officials.

The power of influencers

With the decline of traditional media like newspapers and limits on direct advertising on social media platforms, influencers are increasingly playing a key role in politics and shaping public opinion.

Both the Republican and Democratic parties invited scores of influencers to their respective national conventions this summer. Yet with little to no disclosure requirements about who is funding influencers’ work, the public is largely in the dark about who is powering the messaging online.

Though the indictment does not name the Tennessee-based company, the details match up exactly with Tenet Media, an online media company that boasts of hosting “a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues”.

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Tenet’s website lists six influencers who provide content, including Pool, Johnson, Rubin, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen and Matt Christiansen.

Tenet Media’s six main influencers have more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 7 million followers on X, formerly Twitter.

Fuelled by public outrage and online fandom, the influencers who make up the bench of talent at Tenet Media have amassed millions of loyal followers who agree with their staunch conservatism and brazen willingness to voice controversial opinions.

Their channels also have created communities for conservative Americans who have lost trust in mainstream media sources through Trump’s 2020 loss and the COVID-19 pandemic. Several of them have faced criticism for spreading political misinformation.

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The indictment shows that some of the influencers were paid handsomely for their work. One unidentified influencer’s contract included a $400,000 monthly fee, a $100,000 signing bonus and an additional performance bonus.

Who are the influencers linked to the scandal?

Tenet Media’s shows in recent months have featured high-profile conservative guests, including Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and US Senate candidate Kari Lake. The nearly 2,000 videos posted by the company have amassed more than 16 million views on YouTube alone, prosecutors said.

Pool, a journalist-turned-YouTuber who first gained public attention for livestreaming the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011, hosted Trump on his podcast earlier this year.

Johnson is an outspoken Trump supporter and internet personality who was fired from BuzzFeed after the company found evidence he’d plagiarised other works.

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Rubin was previously part of the liberal news commentary show “The Young Turks” but has since identified as a libertarian. He boasts the largest YouTube following of Tenet’s influencer roster and hosts a show called “The Rubin Report”.

Tenet Media President Liam Donovan is the husband of Lauren Chen, a Canadian influencer who has appeared as a guest in several Tenet Media videos.

Chen is affiliated with the conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA and has hosted shows for the right-wing network Blaze Media. RT’s website also lists her as a contributor to several opinion articles from 2021 and 2022.