A Tennessee-based online content company, allegedly linked to six prominent conservative influencers, has been accused of receiving covert funding from Russia to spread the Kremlin’s agenda, according to a Department of Justice indictment filed on Wednesday.
The indictment claims that the company, which is believed to be TENET Media, was secretly funded by Russia to create English-language videos that would “amplify U.S. domestic divisions” and weaken opposition to Russia’s interests.
The DOJ alleges that two employees of RT, a Russian state media company, funneled nearly $10 million to the company, but does not accuse the influencers of any wrongdoing. Instead, it suggests that some of the influencers may have been given false information about the source of the company’s funding.
Several of the influencers, including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, Taylor Hansen, and Matt Christiansen, have publicly responded to the allegations. Pool revealed on X that he had been contacted by the FBI as a potential victim of a crime and would be undergoing a voluntary interview.
Hansen announced on X that TENET had “ended” following the DOJ indictment and shared a screenshot of a message from YouTube stating that his channel had been permanently removed.
Christiansen hosted a stream to address the allegations and emphasized that he had never been directed on what to say or not say while working with TENET.
Johnson and Rubin also took to X to assert their innocence, with Johnson stating that he had always had editorial control of his program and Rubin emphasizing that he knew nothing about the alleged fraudulent activity.
