(MENAFN- UkrinForm) An American media company linked to six conservative influencers was secretly funded by Russian state media employees to churn out English-language videos that were“often consistent” with the Kremlin's“interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition”
This is according to the AP with reference to an indictment filed Wednesday, Ukrinform reports.
It is noted that among the influencers mentioned are Tim Poole, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson.
The U.S. Justice Department doesn't 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.
It is noted that Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, who are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, are at large.
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.“We still do not know what is true as these are only allegations,” Pool said, adding:“Putin is a scumbag.”
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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“a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues.” Tenet's website lists six influencers who provide content, including those mentioned above. They have over seven million subscribers on YouTube and more than seven million followers on X.
In recent months, the Tenet Media shows have featured high-profile conservative guests. According to prosecutors, nearly 2,000 videos posted by the company have got more than 16 million views on YouTube alone.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, on September 4, the US government announced sanctions against RT, Margarita Simonyan, and other Russian propagandists and hackers for interfering with US presidential elections.
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