A new senior adviser at the Pentagon repeatedly said the United States’ support for Israel was the result of “Israeli lobby” money and accused prominent officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of becoming “very very rich,” from their support for Israel. Retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor, who was appointed as senior adviser to newly installed acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller this week, made the comments in two media appearances in 2012 and 2019. “You have to look at the people that donate to those individuals,” Macgregor said in a September 2019 interview when asked if then-national security adviser John Bolton and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wanted war with Iran. “Mr. Bolton has become very, very rich and is in the position he’s in because of his unconditional support for the Israeli lobby. He is their man on the ground, in the White House.” “The same thing is largely true for Mr. Pompeo, he has aspirations to be president,” he added. “He has his hands out for money from the Israeli lobby, the Saudis and others.” An outspoken critic of American foreign policy and “endless” wars, Macgregor also said the Israel lobby has “enormous influence” on Congress and accused the lobby of wanting to instigate “military strikes” with Iran in a 2012 interview with the Russian-state media network RT.
