“Trump Is Under Netanyahu’s Thumb”: Tucker Carlson, Max Blumenthal, Jeffrey Sachs Warn That Powerful Pro-Israel Lobbies Are Steering the U.S. Toward Escalation and War with Iran. “IsraelGate” and the Threat and Subversion of US Sovereignty
When investigative journalist and Grayzone Editor, Max Blumenthal appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored in September 2025, he abandoned euphemism. “Trump is under Netanyahu’s thumb,” Blumenthal said, arguing that U.S. Middle East policy reflects deference to Israel’s far-right leadership rather than independent American strategic interests.¹ Blumenthal framed this not as a personality clash but as a sovereignty crisis—what he called “IsraelGate”—in which donors, lobbying institutions, blackmail, media power, and a permanent war narrative determine U.S. policy choices, especially on Iran.
What makes this moment notable is not Blumenthal’s critique alone, but the convergence of voices across ideological divides advancing similar claims—about ideological and structural influence over U.S. foreign policy. Conservative populists such as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, progressive commentators like Ana Kasparian, former intelligence officials including Philip Giraldi, and war veteran activists such as Ken O’Keefe have all argued, in different public forums, that Washington’s Middle East posture is insulated from democratic accountability and pulled toward escalation by entrenched pro-Israel power networks.
Tucker Carlson interviews President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, 7 July 2025
Tucker Carlson: Deference, “Control,” and the Iran War Trap
Tucker Carlson has emerged as one of the most prominent Christian conservative voices, sensible and rational critics of U.S. alignment with Israel’s military agenda. In late September 2025, Carlson alleged—citing conversations with people he said heard it directly—that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasts of his influence in Washington. “Bibi’s running around—this is a fact, I’m not guessing about this because I talked to people he said it to—telling people point blank, ‘I control the United States. I control Donald Trump,’” Carlson said.² Carlson described this alleged dynamic as “humiliating” for Americans and dangerous for U.S. interests.
Carlson’s critique centres on Iran. He has argued that decades-old claims that Iran is perpetually “weeks away” from a nuclear weapon have been recycled since the 1990s, repeatedly failing to materialize, yet continually invoked to justify sanctions, covert action, and war.³ Carlson warned that U.S. military or material participation in an Israel-Iran war would risk mass casualties and global economic shock, urging Washington to withhold funding, weapons, and troops.⁴
Blumenthal and “IsraelGate”: Influence as a Sovereignty Crisis
Blumenthal situates these dynamics within what he calls IsraelGate—not a single covert operation but a system of highly organised influence of myriad lobbies and power centres. On Piers Morgan Uncensored, Blumenthal argued that U.S. presidents operate within red lines enforced by donor pressure, lobbying organizations, and media enforcement aligned with Israeli state priorities. “This is the main con job threatening U.S. sovereignty,” he said.¹
IsraelGate – Threat and Subversion of US Security and Democracy
IsraelGate, as articulated by Max Blumenthal, refers to an ideological and structural crisis in American democracy in which U.S. foreign policy—especially in the Middle East—is constrained by entrenched pro-Israel power networks operating largely beyond public scrutiny. Unlike classic scandals, IsraelGate is not centred on a single illegal act but on overbearing influence: campaign financing, lobbying pressure, blackmail – especially in context of the Epstein Files, media enforcement, and elite consensus-building that renders dissent politically costly. According to Blumenthal, this system guarantees that policies aligned with Israeli strategic priorities—such as the occupation of Palestine, permanent confrontation and war with Iran—persist irrespective of public opinion or electoral outcomes and popular opinion on the streets, which is increasingly anti-Israel, as polls repeatedly show.
The result, Blumenthal argues, is an erosion of U.S. sovereignty, where decisions of war and peace are made within boundaries set by powerful external alliances rather than democratic deliberation.¹
Allegations of Coercion, Surveillance, and Fear
Some critics go further, advancing allegations—about blackmail, coercion and intelligence pressure. Former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe has claimed that American political elites are “trapped” by Israel through kompromat operations, naming Jeffrey Epstein as “one of their tools.”⁵ These assertions persist in public discourse amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s political and intelligence connections to the Israeli Mossad.
In a September 2025 interview with comedian Tim Dillon, Blumenthal alleged that Donald Trump “fears for his life,” specifically in relation to Israel, and claimed that during one of Netanyahu’s visits that year, U.S. Secret Service personnel reportedly discovered unauthorized electronic devices in emergency response vehicles—an allegation Blumenthal said he was relaying from security sources, not presenting as publicly confirmed findings.⁶ Blumenthal reiterated similar claims in an interview with Judge Andrew Napolitano, asserting that Trump is “very afraid of Netanyahu,” whom he accused of presiding over an Israeli intelligence apparatus that routinely spies on U.S. officials; the interview circulated widely after being reposted by If Americans Knew on X.⁷
These claims gaining prominence underscores how concerns about Israels overbearing influence have moved from the margins into mainstream debate.
Israeli Lobby, Donors, Media, and the Enforcement of Consensus
Beyond allegations of espionage, critics emphasize documented political economy. Hedge-fund billionaire Paul Singer is frequently cited for funding hardline pro-Israel advocacy and Iran-hawk initiatives while wielding significant influence within Republican donor networks.⁸ Ronald Lauder, a longtime political financier and former World Jewish Congress president, has leveraged diplomatic and political connections abroad—actions critics argue align with Israeli strategic priorities.⁹
Media ownership further shapes the terrain. Rupert Murdoch’s outlets have historically framed Middle East conflicts through security narratives favourable to Israeli positions. On the tech side, critics like Blumenthal point to Larry Ellison and Elon Musk as owners of platforms and infrastructure that shape information flows—arguing that extreme pressure narrows permissible debate even without explicit editorial commands.¹⁰
Other Voices, Same Alarm
Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi has argued that U.S. policy toward Israel subordinates American interests to those of a foreign state, undermining constitutional governance and fuelling endless war.¹¹ Candace Owens has warned conservative audiences that foreign lobbying distorts U.S. priorities and erodes sovereignty.¹²
On the progressive left, Ana Kasparian has criticized what she calls a media taboo around Israel that inhibits honest discussion of civilian casualties and the risks of escalation with Iran.¹³ Veteran activist Ken O’Keefe has long described U.S. Middle East policy as “captured” by a permanent war lobby, linking Palestine, Iraq, and Iran within a single interventionist arc.¹⁴
Economist Jeffrey Sachs frames the issue as policy capture rather than espionage. “I consider Netanyahu the most disastrous U.S. president of the 21st century,” Sachs said, arguing that Israeli leadership has steered American foreign policy for two decades.¹⁵ In January 2026, Sachs sharpened the critique further, calling Trump “a handmaiden of the Zionist cause.”¹⁶
Iran and the Long War Narrative
At the centre of these debates stands Benjamin Netanyahu, whose calls for regime change in Iran date back to the early 1990s. Over decades, Netanyahu warned that Iran was on the brink of acquiring nuclear weapons—claims repeatedly contradicted by U.S. intelligence assessments and international inspections, critics note—yet continually revived to justify sanctions, covert operations, and military escalation.¹⁷
For Carlson, Blumenthal, and others, Iran is the keystone: remove the ever-imminent Iranian threat, and the architecture of permanent war loses its rationale.
Conclusion: Allegations, Structures, and Democratic Choice
The significance of this moment lies not in any single allegation, but in convergence. When commentators as ideologically distant as Carlson, Blumenthal, Owens, Kasparian, Giraldi, O’Keefe, and Sachs all warn—each in their own terms—that U.S. policy is being driven by forces beholden to a foreign country, Israel, and the myriad Israeli Lobbies – the Zionist Power Configuration, the crisis of American sovereignty is indeed extremely serious and can no longer be denied.
Whether the United States, at the behest of Israel, continues toward escalation and a war with Iran, or reasserts an independent foreign policy grounded in democratic accountability, will hinge on how these claims are interrogated—and whether the political leadership, the media and public is permitted a real debate on the power of the Israeli Lobby, over war and peace.
Inline Footnotes
- Max Blumenthal, appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Facebook video (“Max Blumenthal: Trump is under Netanyahu’s thumb… IsraelGate”), posted September 2025.
- Tucker Carlson, remarks alleging Netanyahu’s influence over U.S. policy, interview/commentary, September 25, 2025.
- Tucker Carlson, commentary on Iran nuclear claims, 2025.
- Tucker Carlson, statements opposing U.S. participation in a war with Iran, 2025.
- Ari Ben-Menashe, public statements alleging kompromat and Epstein’s role, various interviews.
- Max Blumenthal, interview with Tim Dillon, September 14, 2025.
- Max Blumenthal, interview with Judge Andrew Napolitano; reposted by If Americans Knew on X, 2025.
- Reporting on Paul Singer’s political donations and advocacy, OpenSecrets; The Intercept.
- Background on Ronald Lauder’s political and diplomatic activities, Haaretz; New York Times.
- Max Blumenthal, analysis of media and tech ownership, The Grayzone.
- Philip Giraldi, writings on U.S.–Israel relations, The American Conservative.
- Candace Owens, public commentary on foreign lobbying and sovereignty, 2024–2025.
- Ana Kasparian, commentary on media taboos and Israel, The Young Turks.
- Ken O’Keefe, speeches and interviews on U.S. Middle East policy.
- Jeffrey Sachs, public remarks on Netanyahu’s influence on U.S. policy, 2025.
- Jeffrey Sachs, statement calling Trump “a handmaiden of the Zionist cause,” January 15, 2026.
- Benjamin Netanyahu, speeches and testimony on Iran’s nuclear program, 1990s–2010s; U.S. National Intelligence Estimates.
Feroze Mithiborwala is an expert on West Asian & International Geostrategic issues. He is the Founder-Gen. Sec. of the India Palestine Solidarity Forum and Indians in Solidarity with Venezuela. He was among the key organisers of the First Asian Convoy to Break the Siege of Gaza (2010) and the First Global March to Jerusalem (2012). He is also the Vice-President of Hum Bharat Ke Log, We the People of India, an organisation committed to Communal Harmony, National Unity and Constitutional Democracy.
Contact: feroze.moses777@gmail.com
“Reprinted from…”IsraelGate and the Erosion of U.S. Sovereignty: How Pro-Israel Power Networks Shape Washington’s War on Iran | Countercurrents
