Tenet Media Shuts Down, YouTube Terminates Channels, Blaze Media Fires Lauren Chen After DOJ Indictment Exposure

Tenet Media abruptly shut down on September 5, 2024, one day after the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment revealing the company had received nearly $10 million in covert Russian funding. The shutdown triggered cascading actions: YouTube terminated Tenet Media and all Lauren Chen channels, Blaze Media fired Chen, and Turning Point USA removed her author page—all within hours of the DOJ revelation.

Tenet Media Immediate Shutdown

Tenet influencer Tayler Hansen announced the company’s closure on X (formerly Twitter) on September 5, stating: “TENET Media has ended after the DOJ indictment and I will now be pursuing other job opportunities.”

The shutdown came amid intense public scrutiny after federal prosecutors charged two RT employees—Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva—with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act and money laundering. The indictment revealed that 90% of Tenet’s funding ($9.7 million out of $10.8 million in total deposits) came from Russian state media via shell companies in Turkey, UAE, and Mauritius, with payments disguised as purchases of electronics like iPhones.

YouTube Channel Terminations

YouTube moved swiftly to remove content associated with the Russian funding operation. The platform terminated:

Tenet Media Channel: Removed entirely, erasing nearly 2,000 videos that had accumulated more than 16 million views over ten months.

Lauren Chen’s Four Channels: All channels operated by Tenet founder Lauren Chen were terminated, including her main “Roaming Millennial” channel which had accumulated over 572,000 subscribers.

YouTube’s statement: “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.”

Notably, YouTube did not terminate the personal channels of the other five Tenet influencers (Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen, Matt Christiansen), apparently accepting their claims that they were unaware of the Russian funding and maintained editorial independence.

Influencers Claim Victim Status

The five continuing influencers quickly issued statements claiming they were “victims” of the scheme and had no knowledge of the Russian funding source:

Tim Pool: Claimed complete ignorance of funding sources, emphasized editorial independence Dave Rubin: Stated he was deceived by the “Eduard Grigoriann” fiction Benny Johnson: Asserted he had no knowledge of Russian backing Lauren Southern: Claimed victim status despite receiving substantial payments Matt Christiansen: Maintained he believed funding was from legitimate European investor

These claims faced skepticism given the extraordinary payment amounts ($400,000/month for Rubin, $100,000/video for Pool) that far exceeded normal podcast sponsorship rates—amounts that might have prompted reasonable due diligence questions about funding sources.

Blaze Media Fires Lauren Chen

Glenn Beck’s Blaze Media terminated its contract with YouTube contributor Lauren Chen hours after she was implicated in the DOJ indictment. Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon stated: “Lauren Chen was an independent contractor, whose contract has been terminated.”

The firing demonstrated how quickly conservative media organizations sought to distance themselves from the scandal, even though they had previously provided platforms for Chen’s content. Blaze Media’s swift action suggested either they hadn’t conducted adequate vetting of Chen’s other business relationships, or they moved to protect their brand once the Russian funding became public.

Turning Point USA Removes Chen

Turning Point USA, the prominent conservative youth organization, also removed Chen’s author page from its website following the indictment. This represented another conservative institution cutting ties once the scope of Russian funding was revealed.

The DOJ Indictment Details

The September 4, 2024 indictment revealed:

$9.7 Million from Russia: 90% of Tenet’s bank deposits came from Russian state media Shell Company Payments: Routed through Turkey, UAE, and Mauritius Fictitious Funder: “Eduard Grigoriann” was entirely fabricated to mask Russian source RT Direction: Two RT employees directed the operation from Moscow Editorial Influence: Despite influencer claims of independence, RT operatives provided content guidance

The indictment charged Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva but did not charge Chen, Donovan, or the six influencers—though prosecutors indicated Chen and Donovan knew the funding source was Russian.

Financial Scale and Beneficiaries

Over the ten-month operation (November 2023 - September 2024), the six influencers collectively received millions:

• Dave Rubin: ~$4.8 million ($400K/month × 12 months)
• Tim Pool: Several million ($100K/video, multiple videos/month)
• Others: Substantial though lesser amounts

These extraordinary payments, funded 90% by Russian state media, represented one of the most lucrative covert foreign influence operations targeting American media ever documented.

Comparison to Historical Operations

The Tenet Media operation represented evolution from previous Russian influence efforts:

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

Each iteration became more sophisticated in concealing foreign control while maintaining access to American conservative audiences.

Significance: Capture Through Capital

The Tenet Media shutdown exposed a fundamental vulnerability in American media: influencers and commentators can be covertly captured through extraordinary payments that compromise editorial independence while maintaining plausible deniability.

Financial Capture: Payments so large they create dependence, even if recipients claim ignorance of source.

Plausible Deniability: Elaborate cover stories (fictitious funders, shell companies) allow influencers to claim victim status.

Audience Deception: Millions of Americans consumed Russian-funded content believing it was independent American political commentary.

Platform Limitations: YouTube’s response showed platforms struggle to distinguish between knowing participants and useful idiots—terminating Chen’s channels while preserving those of influencers who claimed ignorance despite receiving millions.

Conservative Media Ecosystem: The speed with which Blaze Media and Turning Point USA cut ties suggested these organizations hadn’t adequately vetted Chen’s relationships or funding sources.

The Unanswered Questions

The September 5 shutdown left critical questions:

• How much did the six influencers actually know about funding sources?
• Were there other similar operations not yet detected?
• Did the content actually influence audience views on Ukraine, Russia, or U.S. politics?
• What happens to the millions already paid to influencers from Russian sources?
• Will there be additional charges against Chen, Donovan, or the influencers?

Pattern: Shutdown Without Full Accountability

The rapid shutdown pattern mirrored RT America’s 2022 closure: when exposed, operations cease immediately, but accountability for American participants remains limited:

RT America: Shut down, employees laid off, no prosecutions of American staff Tenet Media: Shut down, Chen fired from other jobs, but influencers kept their channels and audiences

The gap between exposure and accountability suggests Russian influence operations face limited deterrent effect—caught operations shut down, but participants often face minimal consequences beyond temporary embarrassment.

When $10 million in Russian funding can flow to American influencers for ten months, producing thousands of videos seen by millions, and the primary consequence is shutting down the company while influencers keep their platforms and claim victim status—the vulnerability of American media to covert foreign capture remains largely unaddressed.