Overview
- Chen announced on Christmas Day that she and her husband had returned to Nashville after receiving a visa, thanking State Department adviser Joe Rittenhouse, CBP, the FBI, and the administration.
- Rittenhouse posted on X that he helped bring her back to "correct the wrongs of the past administration," crediting new leadership at the White House, FBI, CBP, and State.
- The September 2024 SDNY indictment charged RT employees Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva with conspiring to violate FARA and to commit money laundering, alleging roughly $10 million was funneled to Tenet Media.
- Court records indicate the case remains open with key foreign operators still at large, while Tenet-linked commentators Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, and Dave Rubin have not been charged and say they were duped.
- The indictment describes Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan, as allegedly working with RT employees to route funds and create a fictitious persona, and some coverage reported online criticism of preferential treatment in her visa restoration.