Official RT Indictment Thread -- Youtubers Lauren Chen, Dave Rubin, Tim Pool Linked

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A state-controlled Russian media outlet provided nearly $10 million to “covertly finance and direct” videos produced by a Tennessee-based online content company, the Justice Department alleged, identified by media reports as U.S. right-wing social media network Tenet Media.

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday (available at this link) charged two employees of RT, formerly known as Russia Today, of using “fake personas and shell companies” to carry out a “secret influence campaign in the United States.” The duo “operated under covert identities” at an American company identified in court documents as “U.S. Company-1.” CNN and other media outlets said they confirmed that the company in question is Tenet Media, whose affiliated personalities include Benny Johnson and “Culture War Podcast” host Tim Pool, both of whom have millions of followers on YouTube and other platforms.

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“Many of the videos posted by U.S. Company-1 contain commentary on events and issues in the U.S., such as immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy,” the DOJ said. “While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, most are directed to the publicly stated goals of the Government of Russia and RT — to amplify domestic divisions in the United States.”

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The federal indictment in the Southern District of New York charged Russian nationals and RT staff memberrs Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, also known as Kostya, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, also known as Lena, with “conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act” and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the DOJ, both Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva are at large.

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The conservative creator Lauren Chen had her contract terminated by Blaze Media on Thursday, a day after she was implicated in a bombshell DOJ indictment alleging a Russian influence campaign.

Chen, a co-founder of Tenet Media, had been collecting checks from the right-wing Blaze Media for creating YouTube content and appearing on BlazeTV, which was founded by the former Fox News host Glenn Beck.

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