Trump goes off after DOJ claims Russia is bankrolling MAGA influencers

Washington DC - Donald Trump is blaming all of his political adversaries after a recent indictment from the Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed that Russia has been funding far-right media interests in the US.

Donald Trump (r.) shared his reaction after a recent indictment from Merrick Garland (l.) claimed Russia has been funding far-right content creators in the US to help his election.
Donald Trump (r.) shared his reaction after a recent indictment from Merrick Garland (l.) claimed Russia has been funding far-right content creators in the US to help his election.  © Collage: ROBERTO SCHMIDT & RHONA WISE / AFP

On Thursday, Trump shared a lengthy rant on Truth Social accusing rival Democratic candidate for president Kamala Harris and the DOJ of "trying to interfere in and suppress" the election with their claims, which he insisted are "absolutely FALSE."

"In fact, President [Vladimir Putin] would much rather see Comrade Kamala Harris in Office, as he strongly said just this morning," Trump wrote, referring to an "endorsement" Putin gave earlier that day that many believed was sarcasm.

He went on to list other countries and persons of interest – which he deemed "enemies of the people" – that should be looked into instead, noting that the current DOJ investigation is "leading A.G. Merrick Garland down an empty and Country destroying path."

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Trump's comments come after the DOJ unsealed an indictment on Wednesday that charges two employees of RT – the Kremlin's state-run media arm – for allegedly funding a Tennessee-based company "to disseminate content deemed favorable to the Russian government."

Before Trump's post, reports confirmed that the unnamed company was Tenet Media, which is home to some of the biggest far-right and pro-MAGA content creators in the country including Tim Poole, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson.

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump walking onto the stage at his campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 31, 2024.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump walking onto the stage at his campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 31, 2024.  © SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

According to the indictment, Tenet Media's founders Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan – who were not named in the filing – knowingly used their funding from Russia to spend millions on contracts for popular far-right influencers.

The alleged goal was to have the creators share pro-Russian content, which included pushing their support for Trump and far-right conspiracies.

Some of Tenet Media's commentators have shared reactions on social media to the indictment, including Dave Rubin, who argued to absolve himself and his colleagues of any wrongdoing.

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"These allegations clearly show that I and other commentators were the victims of this scheme," Rubin wrote.

"I knew absolutely nothing about any of this fraudulent activity. Period."

Commentator Benny Johnson made a similar statement, also noting he too is a "victim" that is "disturbed" by the news.

Influencer Tim Pool gave a far less dignified response, writing, "Putin is a scumbag, Russia sucks donkey balls."

He then invited journalists who "jump the gun" to "eat my Irish a**."

Cover photo: Collage: ROBERTO SCHMIDT & RHONA WISE / AFP

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