This means a Russian intel agent was part of the internal conversations with Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan about how much to pay Benny Johnson and Tim Pool
The Russians asked Chen to recruit Benny Johnson and Tim Pool to make some content and offered $2m a year each. Johnson said he wanted $5m. Pool demanded $100k per episode.
NB the indictment does not suggest that they knew the money was coming from Russia.
Tim Pool spoke to a Russian agent pretending to be a Hungarian businessman on a secure call.
Benny Johnson wanted more info on the fake businessman. So the Russians made a fake CV. But Benny had a concern... the CV mentioned Social Justice! That won't do.
Eventually they did a deal. Benny Johnson would (unknowingly) work for the Russians for $400,000 a month in exchange for 4 monthly videos. Plus a 100k signing bonus.
Pool also agreed 100k a video but no bonus. Weak negotiating skills.
NB I have been saying Benny Johnson, but there is another commentator who could fit the description: Dave Rubin. Either one could be Commentator-1.
Chen and Donovan knew it was the Russians.
Commentator-6 is for sure Matt Christiansen. This is the video referenced in this paragraph.
Commentator-5 is Lauren Southern, the only woman of the six.
The Russians wanted them to post the Tucker Carlson grocery video, but they thought it was too obviously shilling. Lauren Chen said to post it anyway.
The Russians wanted to blame the ISIS Moscow attack on Ukraine. They got Commentator-3 to do it. If Dave Rubin is Commentator-1 than I think Johnson is 3, and vice versa.
To be clear, whether or not Benny was Commentator-1 or one of the others, neither I not the indictment are claiming he knew that he was working for the Russians. The question of whether he *should have known or suspected* is both more philosophical and harder to prove.
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