As CNN reported:

At Russian President Vladimir Putin’s direction, three Russian companies used fake profiles to promote false narratives on social media, US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. Internal documents produced by one of those Russian companies show one of the goals of the propaganda effort was to boost the candidacy of Donald Trump or whoever emerged as the Republican nominee for president, according to an FBI affidavit.

Separately, two employees of RT, the Russian state media network, were indicted in a US court for allegedly being part of a scheme that funneled nearly $10 million to set up and direct a Tennessee-based front company to produce online content aimed at sowing divisions among Americans, according to the Justice Department. The scheme targeted millions of American news consumers with what Attorney General Merrick Garland described as “hidden Russian government messaging.”

WIRED also reported:

A Tennessee-based media network that produces shows for high-profile right-wing influencers such as Benny Johnson and Tim Pool was largely funded by Russian state-backed news network RT, according to a federal indictment against two RT employees that the US Department of Justice unsealed on Wednesday. The DOJ claims the US company—which WIRED, along with other news outlets, was able to identify as Tenet Media but goes unnamed in the indictment—posted hundreds of videos on social media that pushed Kremlin-approved talking points.

With the tagline “Fearless voices live here,” Tenet Media’s network includes online creators known for their right-wing politics, including Johnson, Pool, Dave Rubin, and Lauren Southern. In addition to the followings of the network’s individual creators, which collectively number in the millions, Tenet Media itself boasts more than 315,000 followers on YouTube and thousands more across Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.

Johnson, Pool, Rubin, and Southern did not immediately respond to requests for comment; none are accused of wrongdoing.

Fox News, Newsmax, and other MAGA media personalities reacted to the news of Russian attempts to influence the 2024 election by attacking law enforcement agencies, dismissing the gravity of the interference attempts, and claiming that the effort was an attempt by the Justice Department to steal or influence the election in Vice President Kamala Harris’ favor.

Fox News

Special Report

The Ingraham Angle

Laura Ingraham claimed that the DOJ may be “laying the ground for more censorship” while guest Vivek Ramaswamy claimed that the real threat is from the “administrative state.” Ingraham agreed that the threat is from the “enemy within.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 9/4/24]

Jesse Watters Primetime

Jesse Watters mocked concerns of Russian interference: “This show tonight has all the earmarks of Russian propaganda.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 9/4/24]

Jesse Watters reacted to the Russian election interference indictment by calling it “dirty tricks” from the Department of Justice. [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 9/4/24]

Watters: “So people here took money, they didn't know where the money was coming from, and it didn't change the way they talked on the internet.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 9/4/24]

Newsmax

Rob Schmitt Tonight

Newsmax's Rob Schmitt said that Attorney General Merrick Garland is “resurrecting” the Russian interference narrative. [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 9/4/24]

Newsmax guest says the Department of Justice is trying to create a Russian “boogeyman” where there isn't one. [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 9/4/24]

Prime News

Newsmax host Michael Grimm: “The left is blaming Russia for their unpopular policies.” [Newsmax, Prime News, 9/4/24]

Greg Kelly Reports

Newsmax's Greg Kelly: “Russian disinformation is basically code for stories Democrats don't like.” [Newsmax, Greg Kelly Reports, 9/4/24]

Chris Plante: The Right Squad

Newsmax host Chris Plante claimed that Russia prefers Democrats in power: “This is what Democrats do when they're losing. They panic. ... Their playbook has one thing when all else fails: Blame Russia. The only problem is, you know, Russia prefers Democrats, as you might expect, to be in charge in the United States of America. Not Trump. They don't want President Trump in charge. In fact, Vlad the Impaler Putin admitted that earlier this year.” [Newsmax, Chris Plante: The Right Squad, 9/4/24]

MAGA personalities

Charlie Kirk

TimCast

Jack Posobiec

MAGA personality Jack Posobiec wrote, “Crazy how all the Russia collusion stuff reappears the day after Trump says he is going to declass the Epstein client list… Really makes you think.” [Twitter/X, 9/4/24]

Dan Bongino

Right-wing radio host Dan Bongino wrote, “Trust absolutely NOTHING emanating from the DOJ or FBI that even remotely whiffs of politics.” He added, “Especially before an election, where they have a deep and troubled history of election interference in defense of their democrat allies.” [Twitter/X, 9/4/24]

Rogan O'Handley

MAGA commentator Rogan O'Handley, also known as DC Draino, wrote a long post claiming the Justice Department is weaponized against MAGA, writing, “Today’s DOJ indictment mentioning prominent MAGA Youtubers is just a preview of what the weaponized Kamala regime will do to every prominent voice in the Patriot movement.” He added, “The regime knows it’s being rejected by the American people and is desperately lashing out" and “No more distractions, no more purity tests for Trump, no more BS - we ALL have to fight like hell to get him elected or most of us are going to end up targeted by the Deep State.” [Twitter/X, 9/4/24]

RedState

Right-wing news site RedState published an article titled “Kamala’s Campaign Is Flailing So Badly the DOJ Just Tried to Toss Her a ‘Russia Collusion’ Lifeline” in which they call the indictment another “fake Russia meddling hoax.” [RedState, 9/5/24]