Pro-Trump influencer Lauren Chen accused of pushing Russian propaganda
U.S. officials have linked Canadian influencer Lauren Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan, to an alleged covert Russian propaganda campaign aimed at influencing the 2024 election. Without directly naming them, a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 4 points to a Tennessee-based media company that purportedly received nearly $10 million from Russian operatives to disseminate propaganda through high-profile conservative influencers.
- The allegations: The company is believed to be Tenet Media, which was founded by Chen and Donovan in 2023. The platform gained significant traction by pushing content that aligned with pro-Kremlin and pro-Donald Trump narratives, featuring influencers like Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Lauren Southern. The indictment, which charges two employees of Russian state-controlled media outlet RT, suggests that Chen and Donovan disguised the source of Tenet’s funding, creating a fake private investor called “Eduard Grigoriann.” Chen herself reportedly contributed articles to RT in 2021 and 2022.
- What’s next: The FBI continues investigating the alleged scheme. Chen and Donovan were not charged in the indictment, but its unsealing led to Chen’s termination from The Blaze — another conservative media outlet — and the removal of her and Tenet’s YouTube channels. As the U.S. prepares for November’s election, the case highlights growing concerns over foreign influence through social media. “We will continue to do everything we can to expose the hidden hand of foreign adversaries like Russia and disrupt their efforts to meddle in our free and open society,” FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said.
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