DoJ alleges Russian interference through Tenet Media

 By Ryan Denison, PhD - Posted at Denison Forum:

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued an indictment against the Russian state news broadcaster RT, claiming that it paid nearly $10 million to several conservative pundits in the hopes of promoting a pro-Russian agenda. Since launching last fall, the company in question—since identified as Tennessee-based Tenet Media—has published almost 2,000 videos through social media outlets like YouTube and X (formerly Twitter). Yet, the content creators in question insist—and the DoJ affirms—that they were unaware of the company’s link to Russia.

To help hide the origins of their financing, Tenet claimed that the company was founded by a fictitious individual named Eduard Grigoriann. Yet, despite lucrative contracts that paid the creators upwards of $400 thousand a month, the Russian agents in charge of Tenet eventually grew frustrated that the commentators were not sharing more of the company’s videos. Ultimately, it appears that encouraging them to do so was the extent of the influence they wielded over many of the pundits, with each stating that they maintained both editorial and content control over what they produced.

Still, the indictment claims that “While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, the subject matter and content of the videos are often consistent with the Government of Russia’s interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests, such as its ongoing war in Ukraine.”

Moreover, FBI Director Chris Wray warns that China and Iran have also attempted to do the same.

And while the notion of foreign interference in our elections is far from new, “amplifying U.S. domestic divisions” is, sadly, not an effort limited to those outside the country.

Continue here.

See also:

• Foreign governments are increasing their attempts to influence US officials. Here are some recent examples. - POLITICO
• US accuses Russia of spreading disinformation before November election | AP News
• DOJ indicts Russians who used Tennessee company to push disinformation (tennessean.com)
• YouTube terminating Tenet Media channel after US indictment | Reuters
• Social media platforms leave alleged Russian influence network largely untouched | Reuters
• Who Is Lauren Chen? What To Know About Tenet Media’s Founder (forbes.com)
• Iranian-linked websites set up targeting US minority, veteran voters - POLITICO