Recently, the Department of Justice uncovered a very expensive scandal. Two employees at RT, a pro-Russia network, were indicted for financing a scheme to pay right-wing influencers through media company Tenet Media to sway the upcoming election in Donald Trump’s favor.
And now, a week after the news broke, it is clear to see that the influencers involved are facing some consequences.
Who is implicated in this scheme?
While Lauren Chen, right-wing creator and co-founder of Tenet Media wasn’t charged as part of the indictment, her career is still taking a hit, NBC reports. She’s been scrubbed from the likes of Turning Point USA and was also fired by Conservative news site The Blaze.
Other notable influencers implicated in the scandal include Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and David Rubin. While this trio has denied knowledge of the scheme, they are continuing to deal with the aftershocks of this event.
For instance, in a podcast appearance, Pool claimed that he was contacted by the FBI because he was the “victim of a crime.” He also said that they wanted to see him for a voluntary interview.
However, it appears that not all right-wing influencers are dealing with this in the same way. Creator Dan Bongino, for instance, issued a warning on his podcast about “people working with the feds.” He also spoke of other right-wing influencers who might end up being “ensnared” in this investigation.
Right-wing influencers targeted
Meanwhile, creators are now a central part of the ongoing presidential election in the U.S. The Republican party invited over 100 creators to the Republican National Convention, while Trump has appeared on podcasts and streams by the likes of influencers Logan Paul and Adin Ross.
In addition, on September 8, Semafor broke news that a “mysterious” organization paid influencers to bolster “smears” of Vice President Kamala Harris in July when Democrats were vying for her presidential nomination.
However, as the recent news from the DOJ shows, even if creators are being viewed as a powerful source of political capital, whether that will benefit or harm their careers remains to be seen. Perhaps the Tenet Media scandal might end up being a cautionary tale.
Further reading:
- Are Right-Wing Creators Being Paid To Promote Pro-Russia Content?
- Skibidi Toilet Is Under Investigation By Russian Authorities
- Stolen Photos of European Influencers Are Proliferating MAGA Propaganda
- YouTube Channels Now Have Their Own QR Codes
- CEO of Social Platform Telegram Arrested For Lack of Content Moderation
