In addition to marking the third straight presidential election in which U.S.authorities have unveiled politically charged details about Russia’s attempted interference in U.S.politics, an indictment indicates how Moscow may be attempting to capitalize on the skyrocketing popularity of right-wing podcasters, livestreamers and other content creators who have found successful careers on social media in the years since Trump was in office.After the indictments were announced, both Pool and Johnson issued statements on social media, which Rubin retweeted, saying they were victims of the alleged crimes and had done nothing wrong.“We still do not know what is true as these are only allegations,” Pool said.
“Putin is a scumbag.”In his post, Johnson wrote that he had been asked a year ago to provide content to a “media startup.” He said his lawyers negotiated a “standard, arms length deal, which was later terminated.”U.S.officials have previously warned of Russia’s use of unwitting Americans to further influence operations in the 2024 election, but Wednesday’s indictment is the most detailed description of those efforts to date.Intelligence officials have said Moscow has a preference for Trump.Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump in the 2020 election, while his 2016 campaign benefited from hacking by Russian intelligence officers and a covert social media effort, according to U.S.
law enforcement and intelligence officials.With the decline of traditional media like newspapers and limits on direct advertising on social media platforms, influencers are increasingly playing a key role in politics and shaping public opinion.Both the Republican and Democratic parties invited scores of influencers to their respective national conventions this summer.But with little to no disclosure requirements about who is funding influencers' work, the public is largely in the dark about who is powering the messaging online.
Tenet Media’s six main influencers have more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 7 million followers on X.The indictment shows that some of the influencers were paid handsomely for their work.One unidentified influencer's contract included a $400,000 monthly fee, a $100,000 signing bonus and an additional performance bonus.Pool, a journalist-turned-YouTuber who first gained public attention for livestreaming the Occupy Wall Street protests, hosted Trump on his podcast earlier this year.
Tenet Media President Liam Donovan is the husband of Lauren Chen, a Canadian influencer who has appeared as a guest in several Tenet Media videos.Chen is affiliated with the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and has hosted shows for the right-wing network Blaze Media.RT’s website also lists her as a contributor of several opinion articles from 2021 and 2022.___Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia.
AP reporter Garance Burke contributed from San Francisco and researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York.___The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy.See more about AP’s democracy initiative here.The AP is solely responsible for all content.
