This past month, the Department of Justice has exposed a “covert” operation by two Russian nationals who were able to funnel nearly $10 million into an American online Conservative media company in order to influence their coverage. The company, independently confirmed by CNN as Tenet Media was founded by Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan and is known for hosting a list of prominent right-wing to far-right social media creators and political commentators such as Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen, Matt Christiansen and Dave Rubin. Several of these public figures associated with Tenet, who boast millions of followers, were allegedly used in a scheme to shape public opinion ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections without direct accusations of their involvement. The Russian nationals in question, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva were affiliated with Russia Today (RT) and were charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and money laundering, highlighting yet another example of this past decade of the Russian Federation’s extensive efforts to infiltrate American political discourse.
The rising pro-Russia sentiment among more dissident American right-wing voices isn’t always shown or paid for in overt endorsements but in the subtle shifts in narrative focus. One of the most high-profile examples of this can be seen in Tucker Carlson’s visit to Russia, where he produced a highly publicized interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin and made several supplementary videos showcasing a seemingly benign yet misleading image of Russian life, though not overwhelmingly propagandistic, they serve as prime examples. The content Carlson produced while in Russia early this year in 2024 omitted deeper contextual realities about Russia’s economic and political situation post-invasion, painting a skewed picture of normalcy and appeal in a country engaged in aggressive geopolitical maneuvers since it was cut off from almost all Western-aligned democracies. Even Putin himself found Carlson’s softball questioning disappointing.
Despite the most well-known recent examples of this trend towards American support for the current Russian government (including Tenet coming from the American right), it would be dishonest to say it’s only coming from them. In defiance of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which represents one of the clearest examples of a colonial expansion effort in recent years (alongside Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip/West Bank), in the U.S., many members of the DSA, some left-wing journalists, essayists and all of the “vaguely left-wing,” faux self-proclaimed anti-imperialist Jackson Hinkles of the world have often either refused to support Ukraine or completely backed Russia. Many prominent figures from both the American dissident right and left have come together against helping Ukraine in a truly strange but not unexplainable coalition. From a Russian state perspective, supporting dissident far-right, leftist, Christian nationalist and Islamist “forces” globally can still work to serve Kremlin interests. Slavoj Žižek often describes this current post-Cold War Russian strategy as one of “unholy alliances” where the Russian Federation supports and aligns ideologically with varieties of conflicting groups opposed to and with hopes of destabilizing Western liberal democracies led by the U.S., rather than marching under similar ideological banners as it did under the Soviet Union with “communism.” In Germany, just look at how the “far-left” party Die Linke and the far-right Alternative for Germany both cozy up to Putin. Though almost never directly in support and cohesion with Putin’s state ideology (look into Ivan Ilyn), these groupings still amplify domestic discontent, whether that be right-wing fear-mongering over migrants and gay people or left-wing criticisms of the current role and function/responsibilities of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, all fracturing societal cohesion in the democratic nations often opposed to Putin’s Russia.
Despite these efforts, the Pew Research Center still notes a robust opposition among Americans to Russian influence, with significant distrust towards Putin and Russia across the political aisle. Yet, this consensus does not translate seamlessly into foreign policy preferences, especially concerning Ukraine funding. While a majority supports the U.S. aiding Ukraine, according to Gallup, Republicans showed less enthusiasm for expanding this support, highlighting a potential vulnerability in public opinion that Russian propagandists could exploit.
The right-wing and far-right commentators associated with Tenet, including Pool, Johnson and Rubin, have all denied the Department of Justice allegations that the RT Russian operatives funneled the millions into Tenet to propagate pro-Kremlin narratives, releasing similar statements claiming they were all “victims” of the alleged scheme. However, notably, Pool vehemently labeled Ukraine as an enemy of the U.S. during a live stream, exclaiming, “Ukraine is the enemy of this country! Ukraine is our enemy, being funded by the Democrats. I will stress again that one of the greatest enemies of our nation right now is Ukraine.”
The indictment also reveals a direct request from Russian funders to a Tenet co-founder listed in the unsealed document as “Founder-1” to “blame Ukraine and the United States” for a terrorist attack at the famous Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow, a narrative contradicted by the ISIS-K terror cell, which itself which claimed responsibility. Founder-1 agreed to pass on this narrative push to their commentators, with one confirming their willingness to cover the story as directed, just as Putin himself blames Ukraine for the attack, then bragged the attacks increased military recruitment, despite the Ukrainian government’s denial and ISIS-K’s admission.
Amidst this, Johnson speculated to be “Commentator-3” in the unsealed document, aired suspicions about Ukraine’s involvement in the Moscow attack, suggesting a too-convenient timing with U.S. terror warnings. However, he has since denied knowing about the Russian funds funneled into Tenet, asserting his editorial independence.
Now, it’s not just Russia; the pervasive influence of foreign and monied operations on emerging media platforms en masse underscores a critical vulnerability in American media. The potential for even self-expressed “independent” voices like those from Tenet to be co-opted and sold off if the agenda is high-paying enough risks undermining the democratic values fundamental to American society, though not all positive press for Russia is bought; there’s still a significant need for vigilance and transparency in any media funding if that news is to be trusted. On Sept. 5, 2024, Hansen posted to X, “TENET Media has ended after the DOJ indictment.”
Andrew McDonald, FCRH ’26, is a history and political science double major from Sacramento, Calif.
