A recent Justice Department indictment has alleged that a Tennessee-based company, Tenet Media, received nearly $10 million from Russian state media producers to create and distribute content that supported Russian narratives and themes. Among the high-profile right-wing influencers connected to Tenet Media are Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson. The influencers have denied any knowledge that the money they received was connected to a Russian influence operation and claim they are victims in this situation. The FBI has contacted them for voluntary interviews, but they have not publicly disclosed the payments they received or responded to questions about returning or donating the funds.
Despite the accusations, the influencers are not legally obligated to forfeit the money they received as part of the foreign campaign. Brandon Van Grack, a lead prosecutor in the investigation into Russia’s 2016 election influence, stated that the influencers are not required to return the funds. Tim Pool defended the amount he was paid per video, stating that it was comparable to other offers he had received and had not significantly affected his lifestyle. While there are calls for the influencers to return the money, Pool shared that he and his legal team are considering their next steps.
The case highlights how easily the new media ecosystem can be infiltrated, with independent creators operating without much oversight or accountability. The lack of transparency in these arrangements is concerning, particularly as the paid influencers attack traditional news media outlets. Some influencers involved in the scheme were told that the project was funded by a fictional persona named Eduard Grigoriann. This deception raises questions about the integrity and credibility of these social media personalities, especially as they were unaware of the source of the funds they received.
Federal prosecutors detailed how one of the influencers, believed to be Dave Rubin, was offered a significant sum of money to create videos for Tenet Media. The indictment revealed that Rubin was provided with false information about the director of the funding and ultimately agreed to a contract worth $400,000 a month plus a signing bonus. While Rubin might not have been aware of the origins of the funds, the founders of Tenet Media, Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan, were allegedly aware that Grigoriann was a fictional persona. Charges have been filed against two Russian state media employees involved in the money laundering scheme, but Chen and Donovan have not been charged.
The Justice Department’s investigation into the Russian influence operation and Tenet Media founders is ongoing, according to Van Grack. The unsealing of the indictment was an attempt to counter any impact the Russian propaganda could have on the November election. This move suggests that US officials are determined to prevent a repeat of the Russian interference seen in the 2016 election. The allegations have sparked a response from the influencers involved, with Dave Rubin declaring his innocence and claiming to be a victim of the fraudulent scheme. The investigation continues, and the US government is focused on addressing foreign interference in the upcoming election.
