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A number of high-profile, conservative influencers in the US have said they are “victims” of an alleged Russian disinformation campaign, after the Biden administration accused Moscow of carrying out a sustained campaign to influence the outcome of November’s presidential elections.
Tim Pool and Benny Johnson published statements on Wednesday evening addressing allegations that a US content creation company they were associated with had been provided with nearly $10m from Russian state media employees to publish videos with messages in favour of Moscow’s interests and agenda, including over the war in Ukraine.
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These fucking shills claiming they are victims. Ugh.
I mean, they might not even be wrong.
Doesn’t mean they’re not also perpetrators.
Yeah, Russia is funding all sorts of critics of the US government, some of them on the left too. Doesn’t necessarily mean they agree with Russia on everything. When RT was still allowed to broadcast in the US, people like Chris Hedges had a show on there.
Honestly, I don’t see how this indictment squares with the first amendment, especially after citizens united. If money is speech, what’s the difference between some American billionaire funding some guys that say things they agree with, and a foreign government/billionaire doing the same? If they’re banning Russian funding, why not ban Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, South China Morning Post, the BBC, etc?
An indictment charging… conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering was unsealed today…
Between in or about October 2023 and in or about August 2024, RT sent wire transfers to U.S. Company-1 totaling approximately $9.7 million, which represented nearly 90% of U.S. Company-1’s bank deposits from all sources combined. The wires were sent from shell companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Mauritius, and were often accompanied by wire notes ascribing the payments to the purchase of electronics. For example, the wire note for a $318,800 wire payment from a shell entity in Turkey to U.S. Company-1 on March 1, read: “BUYING GOODS-INV.013-IPHONE 15 PRO MAX 512GB.”
U.S. Company-1 never disclosed to its viewers that it was funded and directed by RT. Nor did U.S. Company-1 or its two founders register with the Attorney General as an agent of a foreign principal
The first amendment right to free speech does not include the right to defraud. Fraud is generally considered a crime in the US. The indictments are not regarding the content that was produced/influenced, the indictments are regarding RT pretending to not be RT and falsifying financial records in order to do so.
Also, RT is still allowed to broadcast in the US. RT voluntarily pulled out of the US market after cable providers dropped the channel following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as is there first amendment right.
Yeah I think they’re trying to slide the left toward independents. It’s probably not all that hard with Gaza going on, except for the fact that Trump already spewed that dictator on day one b*******. As much as we’d like more progressive things to happen we’re absolutely certain what happens if Trump gets in and there’s plenty not to like on both sides.
It’s not that they are victims. They are just useful idiots whose idiotic idiot views aligned with the political goals of Russia.
Victims that got rich off of their victimhood.
“Victims of”? No.
“Beneficiaries of”? Yes.
When you do something and get paid for it? That’s called a job.
No, you see… They thought they were beneficiaries, but since trump is not doing so hot, they are not sure right now.
Honestly I think they are admitting to being idiots.
Their god-king told them that he loves the poorly educated back in 2016.
Better than prison. These people could be in big trouble… But they won’t be because of their political views. They will get slaps on the wrist and allowed back to continue their campaigns of stochastic terrorism.
The Russians are refusing to pay me so now I’m the victim!
And the ones that aren’t being paid for it are just pawns envious of the kings.
Honestly I am puzzled every time I see someone ragebaiting and/or having a very bad take without that wretched checkmark on X
Just remember this : when Mitt Romney called Russia our greatest threat in 2012 the GOP rushed to his defense. A decade later they were openly admiring Putin.
Not even a decade later , within 4-6 they were politically fellating Putin because Donny dipshit has controlled the party since ~2015/6, and he’s been under Russian influence for much longer, if not from the government, then from the Russian mob (I know, I’m repeating myself).
And Obama bagged on Romney for it.
“The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back.”
The only reason Russia became a threat is that they had Trump there carrying their water.
Also, if Trump had the brains of a Fredo Corleone he would have realized that none of the kompromat Putin had on him would matter once he was in office. The CIA would swear up and down that it was ‘fake news.’
One should add, they were willing victims of that campaign. We all remember what kind of senseless dribble they amplified that could have been discarded as false after a simple google search.
Are they really “victims” if they were willing and profiting? Seems like you’re just an accomplice at that point.
They’re only victims because they got caught. If they never got caught, they’d be happily taking Russian money everyday of the week.
I think it’s fair to call The Useful Idiot a victim.
Are you really a victim if you are willfully ignorant? Tim Pool loves to brag about how uneducated he is
Sounds like something an idiot would brag about.
Or completely stupid? If I spew idiocies what am I if not either paid to do it or literally an idiot?
Or completely stupid?
I don’t think it’s an and/or situation with that one lol. They are definitely stupid.
a) Certainly. b) FYI it’s “senseless drivel” which sounds almost exactly the same.
Thanks!
They sided with the pandemic because Putin said so. They’re welcome to jobs outside the public eye, but not in it after that
It must be so easy at this point… Russia can start a rumour and then get American pundits to authoritatively go along with it because it reinforces what they want to believe.
honestly makes me wonder why Russia even bothers anymore. the right is so far gone at this point they don’t need any help being crazy.
Probably just paying them to stay on message about Ukraine and stop rambling about random culture war issues like alleged elementary school litter boxes.
One must tend the flames of the fires they set, lest they burn out of their own accord.
Russia has always exerted their influence this way. This method became particularly prominent in the communist era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot
Source: I’m a Pole and my grandfather was Lt Col of the Security Service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Service_(Poland)
He told me useful idiots were a lot better in disseminating propaganda than dedicated agents or the illegals.
If you take russian money and distribute the crap they tell you to, you are accomplice, not victim.
If I was supporting a cause which had Putin so enthusiasticly supporting it, I’d probably wonder if it was a cause that I should continue to support.
If you take advice from a man who never takes his beanie off you get what you get
No one is less accountable than conservatives. Always someone else’s fault.
Please crawl into a hole somewhere and disappear.
Tim Pool the Russian Tool™
Even if you accept the claim that they were duped at face value, what does that say about them? These folk’s whole pretense is that they can “see through the media’s lies” and that they are able to tell what is really going on. But they were not smart enough to recognize that they were part of a propaganda campaign? They want you to believe they have a sophisticated ability to recognize media manipulation but also now want you to believe that they were hapless stooges that were tricked into participating in a media manipulation campaign.
Imagine the suspension of intellect it must take to admit that Russia is willing to pay you push the narrative you are already pushing, or are willing to push, and then considering yourself a victim for doing it.
You weren’t the target, you were the tool.
At least they admit they’re gullible fools
I think this goes well beyond gullibility
They knew exactly what they were doing. They’re “victims” only now they’ve been caught.
Victims or willing accomplices?
