Conservative Influencer Lauren Chen and Husband Liam Donovan Incorporate Tenet Media in Tennessee

Conservative political commentator Lauren Chen (known online as “Roaming Millennial”) and her husband Liam Donovan officially incorporated Tenet Media as a Tennessee corporation on January 19, 2022. The company would later become the vehicle for a Russian influence operation funneling nearly $10 million from RT (Russia Today) to American right-wing influencers.

Foundational Planning

The company was established nearly two years before its public launch in November 2023, suggesting significant planning and preparation for the operation. According to DOJ indictments unsealed in September 2024, Chen and Donovan allegedly knew their funding came from “the Russians” and worked to conceal this source throughout the operation.

The Fictitious Funder

To mask the true source of financing, Chen and Donovan created a fictitious persona of a wealthy European sponsor named “Eduard Grigoriann”—portrayed as a Brussels-born financier and philanthropist. This fabricated identity had:

• No actual digital footprint or public record of existence
• A resume crafted to seem legitimate to American influencers
• Supposed wealth to explain the extraordinary payment amounts
• European background to distance from Russian origins

The creation of this elaborate cover story demonstrated sophisticated tradecraft in concealing foreign funding sources, going far beyond simple shell companies to create an entirely fictitious human identity.

Long-Term Operation Design

The nearly two-year gap between incorporation (January 2022) and public launch (November 2023) suggests:

Relationship Building: Time needed to recruit high-profile conservative influencers willing to accept lucrative contracts.

Infrastructure Development: Establishing payment systems, contracts, and operational procedures that could withstand scrutiny.

Funding Mechanisms: Setting up shell companies and payment channels through Turkey, UAE, and Mauritius to obscure Russian origins.

Content Strategy: Developing editorial approach that would advance Russian narratives while maintaining plausible independence.

Chen and Donovan’s Role

While Chen and Donovan were not charged in the initial September 2024 indictments (which targeted Russian RT employees Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva), prosecutors indicated they knew the funding source was Russian. Their role included:

Recruitment: Approaching and signing six prominent conservative commentators—Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen, and Matt Christiansen.

Operational Security: Maintaining the “Eduard Grigoriann” fiction and concealing Russian funding from the influencers.

Financial Management: Handling the flow of nearly $10 million from Russian sources to American influencers.

Editorial Coordination: Potentially coordinating content themes with Russian handlers while maintaining appearance of influencer independence.

Context: RT America Had Just Shut Down

The timing of Tenet Media’s incorporation is significant relative to broader Russian influence operations:

March 3, 2022: RT America shut down after major cable distributors dropped the channel following Russia’s Ukraine invasion.

January 19, 2022: Tenet Media incorporated (6 weeks before RT America shutdown).

This timing suggests Tenet Media may have been conceived as a successor vehicle for Russian influence after anticipating or knowing that RT America’s direct presence on American airwaves would become untenable following the Ukraine invasion.

Rather than operating an overt Russian state media outlet on American cable, Russia would shift to covertly funding American influencers who could reach conservative audiences while concealing the foreign funding source.

Evolution of Russian Influence Tactics

The Tenet Media incorporation marked an evolution in Russian influence strategy:

2015-2018: Maria Butina/NRA - Human intelligence infiltration of civic organizations 2016-2022: RT America - Overt Russian state media outlet on American cable 2022-2024: Tenet Media - Covert funding of American influencers with concealed foreign backing

Each iteration adapted to American counterintelligence and public awareness, moving from human networks to overt media to covert funding operations.

Significance: Adaptation After RT America Failure

The incorporation of Tenet Media six weeks before RT America’s collapse demonstrated Russian intelligence’s adaptive strategy:

Anticipating Closure: Either planned in anticipation of RT America becoming untenable or as general contingency for maintaining American conservative influence.

Covert Over Overt: Shift from branded Russian media to hidden funding of American influencers with established audiences.

Plausible Deniability: Creating multiple layers (fictitious funder, shell companies, intermediaries) to enable influencers to claim ignorance of Russian backing.

Maintain Access: Rather than losing conservative audience access when RT America shut down, Russia immediately pivoted to new vehicle for reaching same audience.

When Russian intelligence loses one influence channel (RT America), it doesn’t retreat—it adapts. The January 2022 incorporation of what would become a $10 million covert influence operation showed the persistence and sophistication of efforts to maintain access to American conservative audiences regardless of countermeasures.