Trump Supporters Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Dave Rubin Received Russian Funding? Claims Surface

The Department of Justice charged two employees of Russia Today, Russia's state-run media organisation, with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). As per a September 4, 2024, press release published on the DOJ's website, a Tennessee-based media start-up, among others, allegedly received funding from Russia to publish hidden Russian government messaging.Although the company has been described only as 'U.S. Company-I' in the indictment, some reports are claiming citing 'context clues' that it would be Tenet Media, a group that has several pro-Trump influencers like Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin and Lauren Southern.“The Justice Department has charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland was quoted saying in the press release. The two Russia Today employees charged, Russian nationals Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31 and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, are at large. “The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to exploit our country’s free exchange of ideas in order to covertly further its own propaganda efforts, and our investigation into this matter remains ongoing.”The indictment also points to Tenet co-founder Lauren Chen, alleging she worked to mislead commentators about the group's funding. Chen, who is mentioned in the indictment, is listed as a contributor on Russia Today’s website. The DOJ press release says: "Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva operated under covert identities at U.S. Company-1. Posing as an outside editor, Kalashnikov edited US Company-1 content, monitored US Company-1’s funding and hiring, and introduced Afanasyeva as a member of his purported editing team."