Pro-Trump media firm abruptly folds after Russia scheme exposed

https://newrepublic.com/post/185686/donald-trump-tenet-media-russia-scheme

Tenet Media is no more.

The conservative media network folded Thursday night, just one day after the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment accusing it of being funded by Russian state-controlled mediaaccording to Tenet Media field reporter Tayler Hansen.

The indictment accused Tenet and its founders of receiving nearly $10 million from employees of Russia Today as part of “a scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

704 points · 42 comments · view on lemmy.world

42 Comments

InternetUser2012@lemmy.today · 208 pts · 1y (8 replies)

Where's all the "there's no Russian interference" people at now? Are they doing the mental gymnastics on how they're going to flip this as being the Democrats fault?

Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 82 pts · 1y

Waiting for the hydra's next head to pop up and give them their talking points.

criticon@lemmy.ca · 50 pts · 1y (1 reply)

They are not getting paid anymore...

Eldritch@lemmy.world · 35 pts · 1y

That we know of. This was an extremely simple and silly scheme that was exposed. It wasn't even the first. And it won't be the last. Plus there will be a few slightly more competent ones that we may never know about in our lifetime.

Bonesince1997@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 1y

These people were too busy creating some bullshit called Trump derangement syndrome and accusing people of having it. They don't live in reality and want to drag us down with them.

eRac@lemmings.world · 17 pts · 1y

Babylon Bee promptly started posting 'satire' pieces about Clinton whining about Russian interference the moment the news dropped. The right's response appears to be to connect this to the prior cases, which they already got people to believe a false narrative about.

vegeta@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 1y

But...but..Putin openly endorsed Komrade Kamala...very strongly. Many say Sir, it is the strongest endorsement a communist has ever made.

ziggurat@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y (1 reply)

No they are saying straight out that on fox news that it's good if Russians help the Republicans win

InternetUser2012@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 1y

Wow, I'll be honest, didn't see that one coming. I figured they'd spin it some more.

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works · 142 pts · 1y (16 replies)

Wow. I gotta admit I’m a bit surprised the parties involved killed the operation so quickly. This wasn’t “the FBI shut us down”. This was “lol we got caught red-handed, quick, pull our money out asap”.

It’s less of a smoking gun, and more like finding someone holding a smoking gun in front of a shot person, and they see you seeing them, so they quickly yeet the gun into the river and run away. Like… bro: we see you, and just watched you do that. The context is utterly damning.

Eldritch@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 1y (1 reply)

They're not responding. Quick! Google time in Moscow for the imaginary man in Paris. That's some stooges level of competence.

Insult to injury Tim's father regularly contradicts and pushes back against the narrative his son peddles in his own way. But in the wake of this he even called into the majority report. And had a discussion with Emma Matt and the others.

dubyakay@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 1y

What? Tim who? And the rest... I seem to be missing some serious context here.

Edit: I have educated myself.

The accused will claim McCarthyism, even though this time there's actual proof of connections, unlike in the 50s.

TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · -30 pts · 1y (13 replies)

idk why but I'm reminded of this

todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee · 26 pts · 1y (12 replies)
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abfarid@startrek.website · 4 pts · 1y (11 replies)

Explain the context, please.

P.S. I tried watching Always Sunny, but couldn't get past second season. I feel like being an American is a soft prerequisite.

todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee · 15 pts · 1y (3 replies)
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abfarid@startrek.website · 9 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Thanks.

And from what I've seen, the entire cast of characters are psychopaths and terrible people, so it goes without saying.

mp3@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 1y

In the words of Rob McElhenney (who plays Mac): It's like the opposite of the show Friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxEz8OcF6m0&t=921s

A bunch of sociopaths who are stuck together because they're the only ones who can stand eachothers.

TachyonTele@lemm.ee · 5 pts · 1y

They are. The show is like if Sinfield and AquaTeenHungerForce had a baby

Eldritch@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 1y (2 replies)

It definitely helps. And even then it's not for everyone. It's ironically become a near perfect totem for American conservatism/conservatives. Sociopaths all the way down. You don't watch the show to identity with a character. And if you do even the actors will tell you that's a bad thing.

The entire gang are irredeemable sociopaths. Who get up to selfish, childish antics. But always get hilarious schadenfreude in the end. Over in Europe and especially the kingdom the closest analog I know is bottom.

Basically the trump administration would have been Danny Devito's character slathered in orange. Charlie Day playing a more loveable Eric. Rob McElhaney playing junior as he sees himself. Katlin Olson as ivanka and Glen Howeton as jarred. Different names, same antics.

abfarid@startrek.website · 4 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Judging by that video, Bottom is like if Mr. Bean talked more and lived with another Bean.

Eldritch@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

Honestly for those that know their beans. And let's face it many on Lemmy do. That's pretty accurate.

SARGE@startrek.website · 4 pts · 1y
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Exusia@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Am American, couldn't get past the second season. Characters were unlikable. Why would I watch a cast I dont like, for hours at a time.

todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 1y (1 reply)
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Exusia@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

I do not see the entertainment in watching "1-5 asshole versions of sideshow bob takes 20 minutes to step on a rake" as the sole plot point for 170 episodes.

I recognize that clearly people like it, it's run for 16 seasons.I personally just can't do it.

vegeta@lemmy.world · 110 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Make sure everyone knows Blaze Media was ‘duped’ as well

The fallout from the alleged propaganda scheme lost Chen her broadcasting gig with another far-right media group, Blaze Media,

BossDj@lemm.ee · 21 pts · 1y

And on the odd chance they aren't a Russian propaganda machine, then at best they can't seem to distinguish their own work from Russian propaganda

goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org · 10 pts · 1y

Hopefully means no more Glenn Beck or Dave rubin

Boddhisatva@lemmy.world · 71 pts · 1y (1 reply)
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Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 1y

Thanks to cognitive dissonance they are doing fine.

Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world · 69 pts · 1y (2 replies)
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AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Yeah, the Internet connection between Russia and everywhere else went down, and the number of right-wing trolls plummeted.

Buddahriffic@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 1y

Kinda wish that connection was severed entirely.

jagermo@feddit.org · 31 pts · 1y

Womp womp

nkat2112@sh.itjust.works · 26 pts · 1y

This is an outright attack on democracy - and something that a majority of conservatives are in support of. It's very shameful. I'm very grateful that schemes such as this have been exposed.

Good riddance, Tenet Media - and also Blaze Media. Good riddance.

grue@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 1y

"Neten Media" being founded with the same headquarters address and many of the same employees (purely by happenstance, of course) in 3... 2... 1....

psycho_driver@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 1y (1 reply)

They should just outsource this work to whoever is doing it for Israel. Obviously better at their jobs.

ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one · 6 pts · 1y

It's called AIPAC.

andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 1y (1 reply)

I suspect $10mil. is what they were able to track but isn't it just a pocket change in the american media world, especially with such a mission?

SARGE@startrek.website · 12 pts · 1y
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nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 1y

Those rubles and bots are going to go somewhere else soon enough. Id wager some middeling podcaster is about to get a suspicious boost in audience and funding.

HappyTimeHarry@lemm.ee · 14 pts · 1y (3 replies)

But how is little Timmy going to pay for his new skate park and music videos now?!

kandoh@reddthat.com · 17 pts · 1y (1 reply)

He was a sk8r boy, she said see ya l8r boy (he was a threat to dem•oc•ra•cy)

Rayspekt@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y

Great song by Avril Lavignova

Eldritch@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

Beanie fund done dried up.

Rapidcreek@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 1y

I think the owners were indicted and this is what usually happens.

lightrush@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 1y

Wait, that's a Canadian entity, interesting.

MediaBiasFactChecker@lemmy.world · -12 pts · 1y

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