Gay conservative Dave Rubin cited in DOJ indictment for pushing Russian propaganda for money

Gay conservative influencer Dave Rubin says he was the victim of a Russian scheme, as the Department of Justice (DOJ) says that Moscow allegedly used him as part of a disinformation campaign to influence the results of the 2024 elections in the U.S. 

The DOJ announced Wednesday that two Russian nationals affiliated with RT, previously known as Russia Today, have been charged in connection with an alleged scheme to “covertly finance and direct” a media company based in Tennessee. The company reportedly promoted Russian interests online through approximately $10 million in payments, which made up nearly 90% of its total funds.

Related:

Russia hired anti-LGBTQ+ rightwingers to push propaganda to U.S. audiences

The Department of Justice revealed that Tenet Media was mostly funded buy Russian state media. It regularly platforms anti-LGBTQ+ broadcasters.

The indictment alleges that the media companies were aware that their benefactors were Russian and that they did not register as foreign agents, which is what the law requires. 

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The media company was not named in the DOJ indictment. It does say it is based in Tennesse, has six commentators, and is a website that bills itself as “a network of heterodox commentators that focus on western political and cultural issues.”

The Guardian notes that the description is an exact match for Tenet Media, where Rubin works. Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has been featured on their podcast, as has former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 

Dave Rubin seems to match the description of “Commentator-1” in the indictment, as he has the exact same number of YouTube subscribers. 

Rubin wrote on his X account, @TheRubinReport, that he “knew absolutely nothing about any of this fraudulent activity.”

He added, “I and other commentators were the victims of this scheme.”

“The DoJ has never contacted me regarding this matter and I have no intention to comment further.”

The indictment says that Commentator-1 agreed to produce “four weekly videos that he would host and would be livestreamed by Tenet Media in exchange for $400,000 per month and a $100,000 signing bonus.”

Rubin is an out gay man who famously advocates for anti-LGBTQ+ policies while talking to his conservative guests. He once said, “I get nothing but love from conservatives” and said he “likes hanging out with conservatives.”

In an interview with Candance Owens, who has made many homophobic comments of her own, Rubin even said it was fine with him if people wanted to pray for him to stop being gay. 

“By the way, some people did come up to me and say, ‘I’m praying for you,’ and I don’t know if they meant that, ‘I’m praying for you,’ meaning ‘I’m trying to pray the gay away’ or ‘I’m just praying for your continued success,’ or whatever,” he said.

In 2019, Rubin told Donald Trump Jr. that it’s OK to call him a slur.

“You can call me whatever you want,” he said at the time. “You could call me a f** right now and it wouldn’t mean anything to me.”

In 2022, when Karine Jean-Pierre became the first out White House press secretary, Rubin said that she only got her job because she’s Black and gay.

“She’s a Black lesbo, and for that she’s got the gig,” he said.

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