YouTube confirmed this week that it had suspended five right-wing political channels believed to be linked to the Department of Justice’s indictment against Russia-linked US media outlets. The platform removed a channel from Tenet Media, an anonymous company that CNN reported was linked to the indictment. The Justice Department accused Russian operatives of paying the media organizations to spread disinformation with the intent of influencing the 2024 US presidential election.
A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the removal, providing a statement to Engadget: “Following the indictment by the US Department of Justice and after careful review, we are closing the Tenet Media channel and four other channels operated by its owner, Lauren Chen, as part of our ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations,” the company said in a statement.
YouTube said it is continuing to investigate the situation and will evaluate whether further action is necessary as new information emerges. The company said it terminated more than 4,000 YouTube channels in the second quarter of 2024 as part of its investigation into Russia-linked influence operations. YouTube works with Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) to identify bad actors and deplatform channels and accounts accordingly.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice indicted two employees of the Kremlin-backed media outlet RT (formerly Russia Today) on charges that they illegally funded a Tennessee-backed media organization now mostly officially identified as Tenet Media. Department of Justice prosecutors allege in the indictment that the media company’s founders knew the source of funding was the Russian government. Tenet Media is owned by Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan.
The Washington Post reported that YouTube was a favored platform for Tenet to spread propaganda videos aimed at American conservatives and popular right-wing commentators. Members of the group included Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and Dave Rubin. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Lara Trump also appeared on the channel. Pool and Rubin reportedly denied knowing that the Russian government was funding Tenet.
