Alina Habba’s Desperate Move to Downplay New Russia Scandal Falls Flat
Trump campaign advisers aren’t distancing themselves from Tenet Media, the conservative media operation accused of taking millions of dollars from Russia to spread foreign propaganda. Instead, they’ve decided to defend it.Trump campaign senior adviser Alina Habba attempted Sunday to brush off the Justice Department indictment, linking the scandal back to the “Russia, Russia, Russia hoax” in 2016.“It’s so obvious,” Habba told Fox News Sunday morning. “The story is now that there’s a criminal investigation about a $10 million investigation into two individuals who had no idea they were being backed by a company that eventually, allegedly, had ties to Russia.”“So in 2016 what happened? There was the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. The media peddled a story that we now know was funded by members of the DNC, their lawyers, Hillary Clinton was involved in all of this—we know that because she had to pay a fine for doing so,” Habba continued, referring to the DNC and the Clinton campaign’s failure to report the costs of the Trump-Russia dossier research to the Federal Election Commission in 2016.Habba then went on to elevate the Durham report, an objective bust that failed to find any evidence that the FBI engaged in misconduct while investigating Trump’s ties to Russia, while damning the Mueller report—which left the possibility of Trump-Russia obstruction on the table—as a waste of “so much taxpayer dollars.”“A $10 million payment to some podcasters who had no idea from some ties allegedly to Russia is now going to make a spin on Russia backing Trump,” Habba added.Habba: The story is now that the there's a criminal investigation about a $10 million payment to two individuals who had no idea that they were being backed by a company that eventually allegedly had ties to Russia? pic.twitter.com/frDXKgO3OJ— Acyn (@Acyn) September 8, 2024The DOJ 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.Other entities, even ones on the right, are not so quick to remain aligned with the allegedly compromised media personalities. The fallout from the alleged propaganda scheme lost Tenet’s co-founder Lauren Chen her broadcasting gig with another far-right media group, Blaze Media. Blaze wiped episodes of her podcast from Spotify and deleted her contributor page from its website shortly after the indictment was announced, with Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon telling Semafor that the conservative anchor had been “terminated.”YouTube also wiped Tenet Media’s content from its platform “after careful review” following the indictment, telling NBC News that its decision to erase the channel and its affiliates was part of “ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations.”The Russian funds paid for videos by popular far-right personalities, including podcaster Tim Pool and Lauren Southern. Pool described himself as a “victim” in the Tenet scandal.“I have been contacted by the FBI as a potential victim of a crime,” Pool posted on X on Thursday. “The FBI believes I have information relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation and have requested a voluntary interview. I will be offering my assistance in this matter.”
Trump campaign advisers aren’t distancing themselves from Tenet Media, the conservative media operation accused of taking millions of dollars from Russia to spread foreign propaganda. Instead, they’ve decided to defend it.
Trump campaign senior adviser Alina Habba attempted Sunday to brush off the Justice Department indictment, linking the scandal back to the “Russia, Russia, Russia hoax” in 2016.
“It’s so obvious,” Habba told Fox News Sunday morning. “The story is now that there’s a criminal investigation about a $10 million investigation into two individuals who had no idea they were being backed by a company that eventually, allegedly, had ties to Russia.”
“So in 2016 what happened? There was the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. The media peddled a story that we now know was funded by members of the DNC, their lawyers, Hillary Clinton was involved in all of this—we know that because she had to pay a fine for doing so,” Habba continued, referring to the DNC and the Clinton campaign’s failure to report the costs of the Trump-Russia dossier research to the Federal Election Commission in 2016.
Habba then went on to elevate the Durham report, an objective bust that failed to find any evidence that the FBI engaged in misconduct while investigating Trump’s ties to Russia, while damning the Mueller report—which left the possibility of Trump-Russia obstruction on the table—as a waste of “so much taxpayer dollars.”
“A $10 million payment to some podcasters who had no idea from some ties allegedly to Russia is now going to make a spin on Russia backing Trump,” Habba added.
Habba: The story is now that the there's a criminal investigation about a $10 million payment to two individuals who had no idea that they were being backed by a company that eventually allegedly had ties to Russia? pic.twitter.com/frDXKgO3OJ— Acyn (@Acyn) September 8, 2024
The DOJ 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.
Other entities, even ones on the right, are not so quick to remain aligned with the allegedly compromised media personalities. The fallout from the alleged propaganda scheme lost Tenet’s co-founder Lauren Chen her broadcasting gig with another far-right media group, Blaze Media. Blaze wiped episodes of her podcast from Spotify and deleted her contributor page from its website shortly after the indictment was announced, with Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon telling Semafor that the conservative anchor had been “terminated.”
YouTube also wiped Tenet Media’s content from its platform “after careful review” following the indictment, telling NBC News that its decision to erase the channel and its affiliates was part of “ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations.”
The Russian funds paid for videos by popular far-right personalities, including podcaster Tim Pool and Lauren Southern. Pool described himself as a “victim” in the Tenet scandal.
“I have been contacted by the FBI as a potential victim of a crime,” Pool posted on X on Thursday. “The FBI believes I have information relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation and have requested a voluntary interview. I will be offering my assistance in this matter.”
