Neither the Justice Department, State Department, the FBI nor Chen immediately responded to a request for comment from Forbes.
Doj's Russia Propaganda Accusations Ensared Johnson, Pool, Rubin
The U.S. indicted two employees of RT, a Russian state-run outlet, in September 2024 alleging they laundered roughly $10 million through Tenet Media while promoting pro-Russia propaganda through content on the site. Six right-wing social media influencers linked to Tenet Media -- including big-name conservative stars Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and David Rubin, who allegedly were paid up to $400,000 a month -- all said they were unaware of any Russian influence or that funds came from Russian sources. In a statement, Johnson said he was "disturbed" by the claims and that he and other influencers were "victims," and Rubin said he knew "absolutely nothing about any of this fraudulent activity. Period." Prosecutors at the time confirmed at least two of Tenet Media's employees, one of whom believed to be Rubin, had been deceived about the source of the funding. The Justice Department said TenetMedia never disclosed to viewers it was funded and directed by RT, and that it failed to register as a foreign government-backed entity. But Chen has disputed claims Russian entities funded Tenet Media. The FBI is investigating the case, the DOJ said at the time, but it's not immediately clear whether a probe is still ongoing. No additional court documents have been filed in cases for either RT employee. Chen claimed Tenet Media was never forced or advised its content creators to push an agenda, "nor were we ever told to do so by any third party," and said she often did not see content published to the site before it became publicly available. Chen, in a post on X, said to suggest their creators' "earnest opinions" represented or pushed Russian propaganda is "not only dishonest, but a besmearing of views commonly shared by a huge swath of Americans."
But Pool, Johnson And Rubin Pushed Pro-Russian Views
"Ukraine is our enemy, being funded by the Democrats," Pool said during a live stream in August 2024, noting that "one of the greatest enemies of our nation right now is Ukraine." In the DOJ indictment, prosecutors alleged Tenet Media's founders asked one commentator to blame Ukraine and the U.S. for a terrorist attack on a concert hall outside Moscow on or around March 23, 2024. In a video posted on March 22, 2024, Johnson suggested Ukraine might be connected to the attack and said it was "too on the nose for me" for the U.S. to have issued a warning about a potential terrorist attack days before. Rubin, in a November 2023 post on X, called former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has publicly condemned Putin as a "monster," an "evil communist piece of sh-."
Chen Praised Putin While Blasting U.s. Support For Ukraine
Chen founded the conservative media outlet Tenet Media with Donovan on Jan. 19, 2022. RT lists Chen as a contributor, separately indicating she was born in Canada and lived in Hong Kong before attending university in the United States. Chen produced podcasts for Glenn Beck's Blaze Media and contributed to Turning Point USA, though her profiles on both sites were later taken down. A right-wing influencer, Chen praised Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticizing former President Joe Biden and condemned U.S. support for Ukraine. The Justice Department alleged Chen and Donovan identified Tenet Media's backers as "the Russians," despite telling content creators that funding came from a fictitious European banker, Eduard Grigoriann. After the indictment, YouTube removed four channels associated with Chen, including her main channel, and her contract with conservative Blaze Media was reportedly terminated. Chen went quiet on social media until September 2025, when she accused U.S. officials of failing to announce that an investigation into her company had "finally been closed." The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Chief Critic
"These people were caught red-handed funneling millions of dollars from Russia to conservative influencers," Jeremiah Johnson, co-founder of the Center for New Liberalism, a liberal activist group, wrote on X. "They are literal agents of a hostile foreign power, paid to spread propaganda that weakens America. And welcomed at the White House."