Attorney General Merrick Garland, center, speaks before a meeting of the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Washington, with from left, Deputy Attorney General, Criminal Division, Nicole Argentieri, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division, Matthew Olsen. WASHINGTON — Russia has long sought to inject disinformation into U.S.
According to prosecutors, the two employees of RT, a Russian outlet formerly known as Russia Today, funneled $10 million to the U.S. media company, which then paid several popular right-wing influencers for their content — in one case $400,000 a month. Two of those influencers said they had no idea their work was being supported by Russia.
This summer, intelligence officials warned that Russia was using unwitting Americans to spread its propaganda by adapting it to fit existing social debates within the U.S. Instead of creating new conflicts, Russia has found success by identifying and exaggerating existing divides, tailoring disinformation accordingly. When successful, Russia can get Americans to spread its talking points for free, without them even knowing their source.
The company hired by RT was identified as Tenet Media by two of the right-wing content creators it paid — Tim Pool and Benny Johnson. Both men said on social media Wednesday that they had no knowledge of Tenet’s relationship with RT and that if the allegations are true, they are victims.
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