A Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment accusing Russia of orchestrating a disinformation campaign to influence the 2024 election alleges that Lauren Chen is a Russian agent who accepted over $10 million to start Tenet Media, a Tennessee-based media company, and push divisive political rhetoric and Russian propaganda in the United States.
The DOJ claims that Russia funded Tenet, which in turn paid seemingly deceived conservative influencers while it churned out thousands of videos to spread the Kremlin’s propaganda. The influencers named include prominent right-wing internet personalities Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson and Tim Pool.
Mediaite’s Sarah Rumpf provides additional updates on the most recent developments:
The indictment does not identify the company by name, “but descriptions in the indictment match those of Tennessee-based Tenet Media,” reported The Tennessean.
Tenet Media’s website declares “fearless voices live here,” and describes itself as “a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues.” Creators currently listed on the site and featuring in videos on its YouTube channel include Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen, and Matt Christiansen.
According to a DOJ press release regarding the unsealed indictment Wednesday, two Russian nationals, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, also known as Kostya, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, also known as Lena, were charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva were employed by RT, formerly known as Russia Today, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, according to the indictment, which describes how RT has launched several “covert projects” that are “designed to shape public opinion” in the U.S. and other Western countries, including this alleged “funding and direction of a Tennessee-based online content creation company.”
Per the DOJ press release:
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. 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.
In order to carry out RT’s secret influence campaign in the United States, Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva operated under covert identities at U.S. Company-1. Posing as an outside editor, Kalashnikov edited U.S. Company-1 content, monitored U.S. Company-1’s funding and hiring, and introduced Afanasyeva as a member of his purported editing team. Using the fake personas Helena Shudra and Victoria Pesti, Afanasyeva posted and directed the posting by U.S. Company-1 of hundreds of videos. Afanasyeva also collected information from and gave instructions to U.S. Company-1 staff. For example, after the March 22, 2024, terrorist attack on a music venue in Moscow, Afanasyeva asked one of U.S. Company-1’s founders to blame Ukraine and the United States for the attack, writing: “I think we can focus on the Ukraine/U.S. angle. . . . [T]he mainstream media spread fake news that ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack yet ISIS itself never made such statements. All terrorists are now detained while they were heading to the border with Ukraine which makes it even more suspicious why they would want to go to Ukraine to hide.”
…U.S. Company-1 never disclosed to its viewers that it was funded and directed by RT. Nor did U.S. Company-1 or its two founders register with the Attorney General as an agent of a foreign principal.
In response to the allegations, Johnson tweeted, mistakenly referring to the indictment as “leaked”:
“A year ago, a media startup pitched my company to provide content as an independent contractor. Our lawyers negotiated a standard, arms-length deal, which was later terminated. We are disturbed by the allegations in today’s indictment, which make clear that myself and other influencers were victims in this alleged scheme. My lawyers will handle anyone who states or suggests otherwise.”
Pool also issued a statement on X, but he later deleted it:
“My statement regarding allegations and the leaked DOJ Indictment. Should these allegations prove true, I, as well as the other personalities and commentators, were deceived and are victims. I cannot speak for anyone else at the company as to what they do or what they are…”
CNN first reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration planned to accuse Moscow of using Kremlin-run media and other online platforms to target U.S. voters with disinformation in a sustained effort to sway the election’s outcome.
According to four sources who spoke to CNN, the disinformation campaign is being spread through both American and non-American voices.
The full indictment provides further details of Russia’s alleged campaign to influence the 2024 presidential elections using RT and other online platforms to spread disinformation:
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The DOJ is rotten to the core. No one can believe they are on the good side of the law, period! Wait until you all see what is coming out about the DOJ in the disclosures that are ready to be seen when the EAS/EBS signal comes out.
One can only hope it enough to shut them down.
Wake up people same trash talk just a different year. Given how the last RUSSIA crap turned out( million of tax dollars wasted) do you really trust the Government with anything. We will find out on the back end this is bought and paid for DISINFORMATION BY THE DEMOCRAP PARTY.