YouTube has confirmed the removal of five right-wing political channels believed to be tied to recent U.S. Department of Justice indictments involving Russia-linked media activities.
Among the channels taken down was Tenet Media, which CNN identified as the unnamed company mentioned in the DOJ indictment. The DOJ has accused Russian operatives of paying Tenet Media to disseminate disinformation aimed at influencing the 2024 U.S. elections.
A YouTube spokesperson addressed the matter in a statement to Engadget, saying, “Following an indictment from the US Department of Justice and after careful review, we are terminating the Tenet Media channel and four channels operated by its owner Lauren Chen as part of our ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations.”
YouTube noted that the investigation is ongoing, and the platform will continue to assess whether further actions are needed as more information comes to light. The company reported that it terminated over 4,000 channels in Q2 2024 as part of its broader investigation into Russia-linked influence campaigns. YouTube collaborates with Google’s Threat Analysis Group to identify and deplatform accounts involved in such activities.
On Wednesday, the DOJ indicted two employees of RT (formerly Russia Today), a Kremlin-backed media outlet. They were accused of illegally funding a Tennessee-based media organization, now widely believed to be Tenet Media. The indictment alleges that Tenet Media’s founders were aware that their funding came from the Russian government. Tenet Media is owned by Lauren Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan.
According to The Washington Post, YouTube was Tenet Media’s primary platform for distributing propaganda videos targeting U.S. conservatives, featuring prominent right-wing figures such as Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and Dave Rubin.
The channels also included appearances by former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and RNC Chair Lara Trump. Both Pool and Rubin have reportedly denied any knowledge of Russian government involvement in Tenet’s funding.
