Weeks ago various right-wing influencers—including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, Lauren Southern, Taylor Hansen and Matt Christiansen—were found to be on the Russian payroll thanks to a Department of Justice lawsuit against the cutout corporation used to funnel money to them. Most made a show of surprise: The Russians?! Me!? Now the Associated Press reports one such personality happy to be seen in such a light: Ben Swann.
Unlike other conservative media personalities who last month expressed shock upon learning they may have been secretly financed by the Kremlin, Swann has no such qualms. He's worked for Russia's state-owned media empire for years, with one of his companies earning millions of dollars for producing Kremlin-friendly shows. …
An investigation by The Associated Press also provides insights into the shadowy and profitable world of political influencers who are not required to disclose who is paying them, raising transparency concerns about their political endorsements in the largely unregulated realm of social media. …
The revelations about Swann's work for Russia come as U.S. authorities have issued increasingly dire warnings about the threat posed by Russian disinformation campaigns. In addition to undermining Ukraine, the Kremlin is seeking to disrupt the presidential election and sow discord in the U.S. and elsewhere in the West, those officials have said.
That he's now on top of the right-wing media heap, promoted by Trumpworld, must be annoying to all those who made a show of disavowing the Kremlin connections last month. Swann registered as a Russian state media agent years ago! Swann nonetheless cut formal ties "in response to the recent sanctions," as the AP reports it. And it found plently evidence of deception, undisclosed funding sources and coordination.
In an interview with the AP, Swann said he has kept his work for Russian interests separate from what he produces for U.S. audiences. He has done this, Swann said, by operating two companies — one that generates content for Russian media and another that produces independent journalism, like "Zelenskyy Unmasked," for U.S. audiences.
"The only connection is that I own both companies," Swann said. The AP, however, found that there was some overlap in how the two entities operated.
Right-wing influencers hyped anti-Ukraine videos made by a TV producer also funded by Russian media [AP]
