NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� They have millions of followers online. They have been major players in right-wing political discourse since Donald Trump was president. And they worked unknowingly for a company that was , U.S. prosecutors say.
An indictment filed Wednesday alleges a media company linked to six conservative influencers 鈥� including well-known personalities Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson 鈥� was secretly funded by Russian state media employees to churn out English-language videos that were 鈥渙ften consistent鈥� with the Kremlin's 鈥渋nterest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition" to Russian interests, like its .
In addition to marking the third straight presidential election in which U.S. authorities have unveiled politically charged details about , an indictment indicates how Moscow may be attempting to capitalize on the skyrocketing popularity of right-wing podcasters, livestreamers and other content creators who have found successful careers on social media in the years since Trump was in office.
The U.S. Justice Department doesn鈥檛 allege any wrongdoing by the influencers, some of whom it says were given false information about the source of the company's funding. Instead, it accuses two employees of RT, a Russian state media company, of funneling nearly $10 million to a Tennessee-based content creation company for Russia-friendly content.
After the indictments were announced, both Pool and Johnson issued statements on social media, which Rubin retweeted, saying they were victims of the alleged crimes and had done nothing wrong.
鈥淲e still do not know what is true as these are only allegations,鈥� Pool said. 鈥淧utin is a scumbag.鈥�
In his post, Johnson wrote that he had been asked a year ago to provide content to a 鈥渕edia startup.鈥� He said his lawyers negotiated a 鈥渟tandard, arms length deal, which was later terminated.鈥�
Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. They are at large, and it was not immediately clear if they had lawyers.
U.S. officials have previously warned of in the 2024 election, but Wednesday鈥檚 indictment is the most detailed description of those efforts to date.
At a forum on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would support Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming U.S. election. Intelligence officials have said Moscow has a preference for Trump.
Putin authorized , while his 2016 campaign benefited from hacking by Russian intelligence officers and a covert social media effort, according to U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials.
With the decline of traditional media like newspapers and limits 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 scores of this summer. But with little to no disclosure requirements about who is funding influencers' work, the public is largely in the dark about who is powering the messaging online.
Though the indictment does not name the Tennessee-based company, the details match up exactly with Tenet Media, an online media company that boasts of hosting 鈥渁 network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues.鈥� Tenet鈥檚 website lists six influencers who provide content, including Pool, Johnson, Rubin, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen and Matt Christiansen.
Tenet Media鈥檚 six main influencers have more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 7 million followers on X.
Fueled by public outrage and online fandom, the influencers who make up the bench of talent at Tenet Media have amassed millions of loyal followers who agree with their staunch conservatism and brazen willingness to voice controversial opinions. Their channels also have created communities for conservative Americans who have lost trust in mainstream media sources through Trump鈥檚 2020 loss and the COVID-19 pandemic. Several of them have faced criticism for spreading political misinformation.
The indictment shows that some of the influencers were paid handsomely for their work. One unidentified influencer's contract included a $400,000 monthly fee, a $100,000 signing bonus and an additional performance bonus.
Tenet Media鈥檚 shows in recent months have featured high-profile 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 gotten more than 16 million views on YouTube alone, prosecutors said.
Pool, a journalist-turned-YouTuber who first gained public attention for 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 he鈥檇 plagiarized other works.
Rubin was previously part of the liberal news commentary show 鈥淭he Young Turks鈥� but has since identified as a libertarian. He boasts the largest YouTube following of Tenet鈥檚 influencer roster and hosts a show called 鈥淭he Rubin Report.鈥�
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鈥檚 website also lists her as a contributor of several opinion articles from 2021 and 2022.
___
Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia. AP reporter Garance Burke contributed from San Francisco and researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York.
___
The Associated Press鈥痳eceives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP鈥檚 democracy initiative . The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Alan Suderman And Ali Swenson, The Associated Press
