At a press conference on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland outlined what he called “sophisticated disinformation campaigns” undertaken by Russia to promote lies via fake news outlets and through right-wing social media influencers. (The DOJ says it has tracked millions of dollars paid out by Putin’s program.)
[Note: The DOJ seized 32 Internet domains that they say were designed to look like American news sites and were used to spread Russian propaganda in an effort to influence American voters.]
John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor, said in an interview with PBS: “We believe Mr. Putin is witting of this scheme — or these schemes,” and added that Putin “certainly has shown a proclivity for one particular candidate.”
Kirby implies that the Russian operatives favor the GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has repeatedly voiced his admiration for Putin, especially as Trump is viewed as less supportive of Ukraine and NATO than the current administration.
Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton said Putin wants Trump back in the White House because “Putin thinks Trump is an easy mark. He’d be happy to deal with him.”
“Putin thinks Trump is an easy mark. He’d be happy to deal with him.”
Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton on why the Russian dictator wants Trump back in the WH.pic.twitter.com/yMtxOwgxWk
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 5, 2024
Conservative Harvard-trained lawyer and top Trump critic George Conway responded to the news and the reaction in Washington, D.C. by writing: “The most interesting aspect of the Putin Payola indictment *isn’t* what and who it refers to – it’s all the folks *not* mentioned in it who feel the need to squeal like stuck pigs.”
The most interesting aspect of the Putin Payola indictment *isn’t* what and who it refers to—it’s all the folks *not* mentioned in it who feel the need to squeal like stuck pigs.
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) September 5, 2024
Commentator Mark Hertling added:
Yes, @gtconway3d, interesting that some will “squeal,” others will deploy “hoax” or “freedom of speech” (already see this), while more will be incredibly quiet, hoping not to draw attention.
The @TheJusticeDept provided links in the indictment that make all categories very… https://t.co/IS63KMv02q
— Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) September 5, 2024
Tennessee Democratic State Representative Gloria Johnson, who is running against MAGA loyalist Senator Marsha Blackburn, is recirculating an interview Blackburn did with Lauren Chen, a right-wing YouTube star. The post Johnson shared (below) portrays Chen as a founder of Tenet Media.
And here’s Marsha Blackburn with Tenet founder Lauren Chen. Who could have guessed the whole “what is a woman?” schtick was partly bankrolled by Russian disinformation ops?https://t.co/pg6inXAOuK pic.twitter.com/ncWeFZx2zE
— Anna Caudill (@AnnaCaudill4) September 5, 2024
CNN has independently confirmed that “Company 1” on the DOJ indictment is Tenet Media. The media platform lists right-wing personalities Benny Johnson and Tim Pool as Tenet commentators on its website.
Funny moment in the Tenet indictment: a Tenet founder, who have told Youtubers their funding is coming from a Western European businessman, emails the investor for more money. When no one responds, Tenet’s founder drops the pretense and googles “time in Moscow” pic.twitter.com/4eXJCNWn5h
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) September 4, 2024