Pro-Trump influencers are rushing to explain after the DOJ said their work was funded by Russia

Benny Johnson, appearing on Candace Owens’ show in 2022, is one of the influencers associated with Tenet Media.

After the Department of Justice accused a US media company of being bankrolled by Russia, several conservative influencers who’ve worked for the company denied any knowledge of Russian involvement.

In an indictment this week, the DOJ said an unnamed Tenessee firm took almost $10 million from the Russian state media company RT.

The aim, according to the DOJ, was to “create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian government messaging.”

Multiple outlets later identified the firm as Tenet Media, a media company founded by the conservative couple Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan.

Tenet publishes content from six influencers: Lauren Southern, Tim Pool, Taylor Hansen, Matt Christiansen, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson — all of whom publicly support former President Donald Trump.

Pool, Hansen, Christiansen, Rubin, and Johnson have said publicly they knew nothing about the company’s links to Russia. The DOJ acknowledged that the influencers weren’t told about Tenet’s deal with RT.

‘Myself and other influencers were victims’

The commentator Benny Johnson, who has upward of 2.3 million subscribers on his personal YouTube channel, posted a statement on X saying he was a victim.

“A year ago, a media startup pitched my company to provide content as an independent contractor,” he wrote.

“Our lawyers negotiated a standard, arms length deal, which was later terminated.

“We are disturbed by the allegations in today’s indictment, which make clear that myself and other influencers were victims in this alleged scheme. My lawyers will handle anyone who states or suggests otherwise.”

He later tweeted a clip of Attorney General Merrick Garland saying that Tenet “never disclosed to the influencers” where the money came from.

Lawsuits. Soon… pic.twitter.com/Av1JqWlFy3

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 6, 2024

‘Knew absolutely nothing’

Dave Rubin, a conservative YouTuber, also distanced himself from the indictment.

(The indictment said that an unnamed influencer who appeared to match Rubin’s description was paid $400,000 a month by Tenet plus a $100,000 signing bonus.)

“I knew absolutely nothing about any of this fraudulent activity. Period,” Rubin wrote on X.

Rubin said he’d had no contact with the DOJ, and he’d stopped working with Tenet four months ago.

‘Russia sucks donkey balls’

Tim Pool, a podcaster, said Tenet had no influence on his content other than the company posting his work on its channel.

“Should these allegations prove true, I, as well as the other personalities and commentators, were deceived and are victims,” he wrote.

“Putin is a scumbag, Russia sucks donkey balls,” he added.

‘Don’t know shit about Russia’

Matt Christiansen posted an hourlong broadcast on X talking about the indictment.

He said Chen, Tenet’s founder, did have links to RT but that he had full editorial control over his work.

He said the FBI had contacted him for a voluntary interview but he didn’t say whether he agreed to it.

“The idea that we’re changing electoral outcomes is laughable,” Christiansen said.

“I don’t know shit about Russia or Ukraine, and I don’t care because they’re not my countries,” he said.

YouTube removes Tenet from the Platform

Tayler Hansen, a journalist, posted his initial statement on X in Russian, describing himself and the other influencers as victims.

A commenter said that posting in Russian was probably not going to help, and Hansen responded in the thread: “It’s funny that’s why I did it.”

В обвинительном заключении Министерства юстиции говорится, что все ведущие шоу и репортеры стали жертвами, если обвинения верны. Любой, кто поспешил и обвинил ведущих в том, что они являются российскими агентами, намеренно лукавит. Подождите, пока не станет известна вся история и… pic.twitter.com/jLIv0s1S4O

— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) September 5, 2024

Lauren Southern had yet to comment on the situation as of Friday and did not respond immediately to a request for comment from B-17.

YouTube responded to the situation by removing Tenet Media and Southern’s channels from the platform.

The conservative media platform Blaze TV also fired Tenent Media’s cofounder Lauren Chen following the indictment.