Before she became a Russian spy, Lauren Chen was a rising YouTube star

Lauren Chen: A Conduit for Russian Propaganda and Far-Right Voices

Lauren Chen’s influence in the conservative YouTube ecosystem cannot be overstated. She served as a bridge between the internet’s most extreme far-right voices and mainstream conservative creators, paving the way for the mainstreaming of extremist ideas.

Chen’s Role in Russian Propaganda Campaign

According to a federal indictment, Chen allegedly played a pivotal role in connecting the Russian state media operation RT with right-wing content creators, enabling the Kremlin to spread covert propaganda through Tenet Media, a collective she co-owned. As “Founder-1,” Chen reportedly received payments from RT to create and publish videos without disclosing their sponsorship.

Early Career and Far-Right Affiliation

Chen’s online persona as “Roaming Millennial” emerged in 2016, when she posted anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ rights, and anti-diversity content. She described her foray into video as inspired by Milo Yiannopoulos, one of the first professional far-right internet trolls.

Bridge between Far-Right and Mainstream

Chen’s connections within the far-right and mainstream conservative communities made her an ideal recruiter for RT’s propaganda campaign. In early videos announcing Tenet Media, contributors cited their long-standing relationships with Chen as a reason for joining the collective.

Chen’s Personal Beliefs and Political Evolution

Chen’s conservative upbringing influenced her political views, but her involvement in college activism further pushed her to the right. She described her early YouTube videos as commentaries on social issues, but they often displayed an affinity for RT, which she quoted favorably.

Growth in Influence and Mainstream Success

Over time, Chen’s following grew, and she began to take video production seriously. Despite social media companies cracking down on far-right creators, Chen’s more polite and less extreme style allowed her to gain traction.

Connection to Alt-Right Leader

Chen’s interview with Richard Spencer, the creator of the alt-right movement, demonstrated her sympathetic views towards extreme ideologies. Spencer described her as “alt-right sympathetic,” though not overtly alt-right herself.

Alleged Compensation for Recruitment

NBC News identified Chen as “Founder-1” in the indictment, which alleges that she received an “Influencer Talent Scouting” contract from RT to find commentators for Tenet Media. This suggests that Chen’s compensation was primarily for her connections rather than her content.

Alignment with Fringe and Extremist Voices

Beyond Tenet Media, Chen publicly aligned herself with fringe and extremist voices, including white supremacist Nick Fuentes and others who criticized U.S. support for Ukraine. These positions alienated some of her former mainstream conservative supporters.

Consequences of Indictment

Following the unsealing of the indictment, TheBlaze terminated Chen’s employment, Turning Point USA removed her author page, and YouTube eliminated her channels, effectively wiping out her nearly decade-long online presence.