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Posted: 2024-09-04T23:47:31Z | Updated: 2024-09-05T00:05:14Z

The Department of Justice indicted two employees of the state-backed Russian media company RT on Wednesday, saying they funded and directed the coverage of a U.S. conservative media outlet in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The indictment alleges that two Russians, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, funneled nearly $10 million into the U.S. media company as part of a Kremlin-backed effort to influence American audiences in favor of Russian government priorities, and says they failed to register as agents of a foreign government as required by law.

The conservative network is not named in the indictment. However, it is identified as a Tennessee-based corporation hosting six commentators that describes itself as a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues.

That matches the exact language and number of commentators listed on the website of the Tennessee-based TENET Media , a video distribution platform owned by conservative founders Liam Donovan and Lauren Chen that hosts conservative influencers including Dave Rubin, Tim Pool, Benny Johnson and Lauren Southern. Chen did not immediately respond to an email, and HuffPost was unable to reach Donovan.

However, CNN has independently confirmed that the company mentioned in the indictment is TENET.

In a post on X on Wednesday that was retweeted by Rubin, Johnson acknowledged that he was an unwitting victim of the alleged scheme.

A year ago, a media startup pitched my company to provide content as an independent contractor, Johnson wrote. Our lawyers negotiated a standard, arms length deal, which was later terminated. We are disturbed by the allegations in todays 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.

Pool also stated that he was a victim while naming TENET as the company that he entered into a licensing agreement with in a post on X .

Should these allegations prove true, I as well as the other personalities and commentators were deceived and are victims, Pool wrote. I cannot speak for anyone else at the company as to what they do or to what they are instructed.

He added, Putin is a scumbag, Russia sucks donkey balls.