A media organization now alleged to be involved in a plot for Russian election interference has hosted conversations with well-known Republicans, including the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, a Trump lawyer, and a member of Congress, according to a review of its programming by YSL News.

Podcasts from Tenet Media, aired on platforms like YouTube, featured appearances from Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and wife of Trump’s son Eric; Congressman Brian Mast from Florida; veteran Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillon; and former Trump staffer Kash Patel.

Additional supporters of Trump who have been on Tenet Media’s shows include Kari Lake, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Arizona; Vivek Ramaswamy, a previous Republican presidential candidate; and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic representative from Hawaii who has recently endorsed Trump.

As of Thursday night, several videos were removed, and YouTube displayed a message stating that the related account had been terminated.

Paul Dans, who previously led Project 2025, was also featured on a Tenet Media podcast shortly before stepping down from his position.

None of the guests or their representatives responded to inquiries from YSL News.

Casual conversations, political statements

The discussions frequently emphasized Republican viewpoints. Mast, a veteran of the Afghanistan war, criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, for his military service. He accused Walz of abandoning his troops before their deployment to Iraq. This episode was titled “Tim AWOLTZ CANNOT Be VP.” (Walz chose to retire two months prior to his unit receiving deployment orders.)

In a separate episode from three weeks ago, Walz was blamed for a fraudulent scheme involving nonprofit funds during the pandemic, which House Republicans have since investigated.

“We’re huge fans of Lara Trump,” said host Benny Johnson, a far-right media figure associated with Tenet Media, during Lara Trump’s appearance on his show.

Trump shared with Johnson her initiatives to replace many staff at the Republican National Committee with loyalists soon after she assumed control of the national party. “While it’s tough to eliminate all bad influences, we do bring in a solid group with us,” she stated.

Tenet Media allegedly paid $100,000 per episode

Lara Trump, Mast, Dhillon, Lake, Patel, Ramaswamy, and Gabbard were all guests on Johnson’s show, where he claimed he fell victim to the alleged Russian conspiracy.

The Department of Justice claims that unregistered foreign operatives for Russia set up Tenet Media to influence the 2024 elections, offering as much as $100,000 for certain episodes to influencers.

This scheme involved fabricating a fictitious investor, Eduard Grigoriann, presenting him as the financial backer of the supposed news organization. The mission statement of Tenet Media on its website aligns with the details in the indictment submitted to business filings with the Secretary of State in Tennessee.

<p“About a year ago, a startup media company approached us to create content under a contractor agreement,” Johnson mentioned on X (formerly Twitter). “Our legal team negotiated a fair deal, which was later called off. We are concerned by the allegations in today’s indictment, which indicate that myself and other influencers were misled in this alleged operation.”

Matt Christiansen, who hosted the podcast regarding the COVID fraud, commented on X: “No one ever instructed me on what to say or not to say, and I would never accept any such restrictions.”

Russians believe Republicans align with their beliefs

The Department of Justice hasn’t mentioned the beneficiaries of the Russian misinformation efforts, but “propaganda proposals” they presented Wednesday in a related investigation indicated the Russian government favors the Republican Party and seeks Trump’s re-election over that of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

In that situation, the U.S. government confiscated multiple internet domain names that the Russians had created to mimic legitimate news outlets. Russian documents proposed spreading information to individuals in swing states and conservative areas, as well as targeting Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, and users of platforms like Reddit and 4chan.

Trump has openly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, known for his repressive regime against critics. The intelligence community determined that Russia interfered on Trump’s behalf in the 2016 election, although a special counsel probe found no conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

While Democrats have prioritized military support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Donald Trump, his running mate Senator JD Vance from Ohio, and several other right-wing Republicans have criticized this financial assistance. Trump even remarked that he would allow Russia to act freely regarding U.S. allies in Europe.

Allocating adequate resources for national defense.

According to Russian documents, “While [U.S. Political Party B] remains in authority, they are working to uphold the current international policy objectives.” The Department of Justice’s redaction likely describes the Democrats as Party B. “On the other hand, [U.S. Political Party A], now in opposition, is voicing criticism regarding these objectives.”

The Russian documentation labeled Party B as “leftist and extreme-left globalists who support the distortion of traditional moral and religious values” and referred to Party A as “ordinary individuals focused on safeguarding the essence of the American lifestyle.” Another file noted, “Currently, [U.S. Political Party A] is promoting a somewhat pro-Russian viewpoint.”