NEW YORK (AP) - They have millions of online followers. They have been key players in right-wing political discourse since Donald Trump became president. And they unwittingly worked for a company that was a front for a Russian influence operation, U.S. prosecutors say.
An indictment filed on Wednesday alleges that a media company tied to six conservative influencers - including well-known personalities Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson - was secretly funded by Russian state media operatives to produce English-language videos that were "often consistent" with the Kremlin's "interest in exacerbating domestic divisions in the U.S. to weaken U.S. opposition" to Russian interests, such as the war in Ukraine.
Not only is it the third consecutive presidential election in which US authorities have revealed politically charged details about Russia's attempted meddling in American politics, but an indictment has also been filed detailing how Moscow may be trying to capitalize on the growing popularity of right-wing podcasters, livestreamers and other content creators who have built successful careers on social media in the years since Trump took office.
The U.S. Department of Justice is not alleging that the influencers committed any wrongdoing. Some of them were allegedly given false information about the source of the company's funding. Instead, it is accusing two employees of RT, a Russian state-owned media company, of funneling nearly $10 million to a Tennessee content creation company for Russia-friendly content.
After the charges were announced, both Pool and Johnson released statements on social media, which Rubin retweeted, saying they were victims of the alleged crimes and that they had done nothing wrong.
"We still don't know what is true, because these are just accusations," Pool said. "Putin is a scoundrel."
In his post, Johnson wrote that he had been asked to provide content to a "media startup" a year ago. He said his lawyers had negotiated a "standard, independent deal, which was later terminated."
Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva are accused of conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. They are at large and it was not immediately clear whether they had lawyers.
U.S. officials have previously warned about Russia using unwitting Americans to further influence the 2024 election, but Wednesday's indictment is the most detailed account yet of those efforts. Intelligence officials have said Moscow favors Trump.
Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump in the 2020 election, while his 2016 campaign benefited from hacking by Russian intelligence officers and a covert social media effort, U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials say.
With the decline of traditional media outlets like newspapers and restrictions 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 dozens of influencers to their respective national conventions this summer. But with little to no disclosure requirements about who funds the work of influencers, the public is largely in the dark about who is driving online coverage.
While the lawsuit doesn't name the Tennessee company, the details match exactly with Tenet Media, an online media company that boasts of hosting "a network of heterodox commentators focused on Western political and cultural issues." Tenet's website lists six influencers as content providers, including Pool, Johnson, Rubin, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen and Matt Christiansen.
Tenet Media's top six influencers have over 7 million subscribers on YouTube and over 7 million followers on X.
Fueled by public outrage and online fandom, the influencers who make up Tenet Media's talent pool have amassed millions of loyal followers who agree with their unwavering conservatism and unapologetic willingness to express controversial opinions. Their channels have also created communities for conservative Americans who have lost trust in mainstream media sources in the wake of Trump's 2020 loss and the COVID-19 pandemic. Several have been criticized for spreading political disinformation.
The indictment alleges that some influencers were paid handsomely for their work. One unidentified influencer's contract included a monthly fee of $400,000, a $100,000 signing bonus, and an additional performance bonus.
Tenet Media's shows in recent months have featured prominent conservative guests, including Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and U.S. 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 came to public attention livestreaming the Occupy Wall Street protests, 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 that he had plagiarized other work.
Rubin was previously a part of the liberal news commentary show "The Young Turks," but has since identified as a libertarian. He has 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 organization 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 pieces in 2021 and 2022.
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Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia. AP reporter Garance Burke reported from San Francisco and researcher Rhonda Shafner reported from New York.
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