The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment on Wednesday alleging that two Russian nationals working in President Vladimir Putin's administration misappropriated millions of dollars to a media company run by anti-Trump conservative influencer Lauren Chen.
” Indictment The trial, which was opened in the Southern District of New York, charged Moscow residents Kostyantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva with conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. CBS News It was reported on Wednesday.
The two defendants worked for Russian state-run media outlet RT (formerly known as Russia Today) until it was dissolved in the United States after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Federal prosecutors said RT oversaw a series of 'secret projects,' including funneling $10 million through a series of shell companies to a Tennessee-based company founded in 2023 that published videos on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter),” CBS News added.
The indictment alleges that the videos published by the company contained “commentary on U.S. events and issues, including immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and international policy.”
“While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, the themes and content of the videos are often consistent with the Russian government's interest in widening divisions within the United States in order to undermine U.S. opposition to the Russian government's core interests, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine,” the indictment said.
The indictment does not name the company, saying only that it describes itself as “a network of unorthodox commentators focusing on Western political and cultural issues.” Journalists identified the company as: Tenet MediaAs the company's website states:
Tenet Media is A network of unorthodox commentators focusing on Western political and cultural issues. Our goal is to support creators who question the institutions they believe are beyond question. We believe that if we want to get closest to the truth, every hot topic deserves to be debated rigorously and honestly. For those interested in authentic reporting on the topics that matter most, Tenet Media is the home of content. Fearless voices are here.
The company allegedly used popular influencers such as Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, and Lauren Southern as talent, signing business contracts with them of varying depth and duration.
While most of the people on the list have voiced support for Trump, Chen himself has spoken out against the former president.
The indictment revealed that at least two talents, one of whom was Tim Pool, were “scammed.” According to Tenet Media's two founders, Lauren Chen and her husband Liam Donovan, CBS News reports:
record Tenet Media was incorporated on Jan. 19, 2022, the same incorporation date listed in the indictment, and is headquartered in Nashville, according to records from the Tennessee Secretary of State's office. The company was founded by Liam Donovan and his wife, Lauren Chen, who are referred to in the indictment as Founder 1 and Founder 2 and who prosecutors said operated the company together.
Tenet has never disclosed that it received “funding and guidance” from RT, and neither the company nor its founders have reportedly registered as foreign agents with the Department of Justice.
Tim Pool described himself as a “victim.” statement On social media, he charged that he had full editorial control over the show and had never published talking points at Russia's behest.
“If these allegations prove true, I, along with other talent and commentators, have been deceived and victimized, and I cannot speak for the actions or direction of anyone else within the company,” Poole said.
Tim Pool later deleted the statement, but commented on his own show, saying he has never produced content at the behest of anyone else, but simply agreed to some of his content being licensed.
Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson issued similar statements. Social MediaJohnson said his lawyers had negotiated a “standard arm's length deal” that was later scrapped.
“A year ago, an emerging media company approached my company to provide content as an independent contractor. Our lawyers negotiated a standard independent contract that was later dissolved. We are troubled by the allegations in today's indictment that make it clear that I and other influencers were victims of this alleged scheme, and my lawyers will address anyone who claims or suggests otherwise,” Johnson said.
“These allegations clearly demonstrate that I and other commenters were victims of this scheme. I knew absolutely nothing about this fraudulent activity. Period. … The Department of Justice has not contacted me about this matter and I will not be commenting further.” Dave Rubin said.
The amount paid was huge. CBS Notes“One unidentified influencer's contract included a monthly fee of $400,000, a signing bonus of $100,000 and additional performance bonuses.”
Sebastian Gorka, a former Breitbart News editor and senior Trump administration official, said Cheng approached him about producing content for “Tenet” but turned down the offer after doing his “due diligence.”
“The money seemed great, but I wanted to know where it came from,” he said in X's post. “After much persuasion, she gave me the names of people with no internet footprint, like Eduard Grigorian. People with no media connections whatsoever. Really, none at all.”
“I just couldn't accept it.”
The indictment states that Lauren Chen was the main liaison between Russian nationals and the talent allegedly recruited. It also states that she knew the source of funding. In one particular instance, the indictment states that a producer challenged the posting of a pro-Russian video by commentator Tucker Carlson that “The Founder II” claimed to have.
“Producer 1 privately messaged Founder 2 on Discord saying, 'They want me to post this' — referring to the video Afanasyeva posted — but 'it feels like blatant advertising.' Founder 2 replied that Founder 1 'I think you should make this public.' Producer 1 agreed, replying, 'OK, I'll publish it tomorrow,'” the indictment reads.
Over the past year, Lauren Chen has increasingly taken positions that go against mainstream conservative politics, including opposing Israel and arguing for repealing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. In recent weeks, she has Assert Conservatives have refrained from voting for former President Trump because of his pragmatic views on abortion.
Tim Poole, Benny Johnson and Dave Rubin maintain their support for Trump.
A common thread among the influential people named in the indictment is their skepticism about U.S. policy toward Ukraine, which Russia may have wanted to amplify.
Speculation about other motives circulated online on Wednesday, with Democrats suggesting Russia may have wanted to help Trump and conservatives suggesting Russia was supporting conservative opponents of Trump.
Breitbart News staff contributed to this report.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump's presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
