Comment on Where is Lauren Chen? by dgugges19

dgugges19 · 4/11/2025, 3:16:58 AM · permalink

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dgugges19 · 4/11/2025, 3:17:25 AM · permalink

Tim Pool and Dave Rubin were prominent commentators associated with Tenet Media, a company implicated in a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice indictment for allegedly receiving nearly $10 million from Russian state media (RT) to promote pro-Russian narratives in the U.S. The indictment does not name Tenet Media directly, referring to it as “U.S. Company-1,” but details match the company’s public profile, and multiple reports confirm the connection. Pool and Rubin, along with other influencers like Benny Johnson and Lauren Southern, were part of Tenet’s roster of “talent,” producing content for its platform.

According to the indictment, Pool and Rubin were among the highest-profile contributors. Pool hosted “The Culture War Podcast,” reportedly earning $100,000 per episode, while Rubin produced content for a show called “People of the Internet,” earning $400,000 per month plus a $100,000 signing bonus and performance incentives. Between November 2023 and August 2024, Tenet’s commentators, including Pool and Rubin, created over 2,000 videos, amassing 16 million YouTube views. The content often aligned with Kremlin interests, such as amplifying U.S. domestic divisions, critiquing support for Ukraine, and promoting narratives favorable to Russian geopolitical goals, though it also covered broader conservative talking points like culture wars and anti-establishment rhetoric.

The indictment suggests that Pool and Rubin were unaware of the Russian funding, describing them as potentially “deceived” by Tenet’s founders, referred to as “Founder-1” and “Founder-2” (implied to be Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan). The founders allegedly concealed the true source of the money, presenting it as coming from a fictitious investor named “Eduard Grigoriann.” Both Pool and Rubin expressed skepticism about this persona—Rubin requested more details and received a fake résumé, while Pool noted inconsistencies but ultimately signed on. The indictment does not accuse Pool, Rubin, or other commentators of wrongdoing, framing them as possible victims of the scheme.

Publicly, both Pool and Rubin have denied any knowledge of Russian involvement, claiming they maintained full editorial control over their content. On September 4, 2024, Rubin posted on X, stating, “I knew absolutely nothing about any of this fraudulent activity. Period,” describing his show as a “silly” project covering viral videos. Pool echoed this, writing on X that if the allegations were true, he and others were “deceived and are victims,” emphasizing that his show predated Tenet and was often apolitical. He added, “Putin is a scumbag,” distancing himself from Russian interests.

Critics argue the commentators should have questioned the suspiciously large payments and vague funding source, given the lack of a digital footprint for “Grigoriann” and Tenet’s relatively low viewership compared to their personal channels. Supporters, however, point to the indictment’s language, which stops short of implicating the influencers, suggesting they were exploited due to their existing alignment with narratives that coincidentally overlapped with Russian goals.

The scandal led to YouTube terminating Tenet Media’s channel and four channels linked to Lauren Chen on September 5, 2024. Pool and Rubin have continued their independent work, but the incident has fueled debates about foreign influence in U.S. media and the vulnerabilities of online content creators to such operations. The investigation remains ongoing, with no charges filed against Pool, Rubin, or Tenet’s founders as of the latest reports.

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