The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently accused Russian entities of attempting to create division in America through the spread of politically charged content. In response to this alleged interference, YouTube, owned by Google, has removed five right-wing political channels linked to this effort. These channels were connected to conservative commentator Lauren Chen and her company, Tenet Media.
YouTube announced it had “terminated” these accounts, including that of Tenet Media, in order to combat “coordinated influence operations.” This decision was made following the DOJ’s recent charges against two Russian individuals who were identified as RT employees. These individuals have been accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), money laundering, and funneling millions of dollars to US-based entities in order to promote a “Russian narrative” on various politically charged topics.
While the DOJ did not directly name the company allegedly involved in these activities, it mentioned that this company was based in Tennessee and had posted around 2,000 videos since its launch in November 2023. Many observers and social media users believe that the indictment refers to Tenet Media, which was founded by Chen and her husband Liam Donovan in early 2022. The company often features right-wing influencers who provide commentary on topics such as immigration, inflation, and foreign policy.
Following the charges against the Russian individuals, conservative outlet Blaze Media announced it had terminated a contract with Chen, describing her as “an independent contractor,” without providing an explanation for this decision.
In a separate development, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on several Russian nationals, including RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan and three other senior RT employees. These sanctions were put in place over alleged efforts to influence the US election.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has denounced these new restrictions, arguing that the move “testifies to the irreversible degradation of the democratic state in the United States and its transformation into a totalitarian neoliberal dictatorship.