Warning: Your (Least)Favorite Right-Wing YouTubers May Contain Kremlin Crumbs

Tim Pool, Timothy Daniel Pool, Timothy Fool as The Bear's Mule.

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/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”(very publicly) 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 RT(Russian state-affiliated media) and were charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and money laundering, spotlighting 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 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 govt(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 incursions into 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 Hinkle’s 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. Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek(hate him or love him) often describes this current post-Cold War Russian strategy as one of "unholy alliances"(just look at who makes up BRICS) 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 U.S.S.R. with ‘Communism.’ In Germany, just look at how the “far-left” party Die Linke and the far-right AFD 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 NATO, 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/far-right commentators associated with Tenet, including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, and Dave Rubin, have all denied The Department of Justice's 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, Tim Pool, one of the high-profile commentators at Tenet,  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.”

6:05 timestamp^

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 attacks(then bragged the attacks increased military recruitment), despite the Ukrainian government's denial and ISIS-K’s admission.

Amidst this, Benny Johnson, another Tenet influencer, 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 in 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/fundraising operation if that ‘news’ is to be trusted. 

On September 5th, 2024, Tenet media commentator Tayler Hansen posted to X(formerly Twitter), “TENET Media has ended after the DOJ indictment.”