Pompeo 'made rich by Israel lobby', says new Pentagon adviser

Senior Donald Trump administration officials, including Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, have been "made rich by the Israeli lobby", a new adviser to the Pentagon said.

Bolton, a former national security adviser, became "very, very rich" through his "unconditional support for the Israeli lobby", Retired Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor said last year.

"He is their man on the ground, in the White House," said Macgregor, who was appointed as a senior adviser to new Defence Secretary Christopher Miller this week.

"The same thing is largely true for Mr. Pompeo, he has aspirations to be president," Macgregor added, referring to the secretary of state. "He has his hands out for money from the Israeli lobby, the Saudis and others."

Macgregor made the comments in an interview last year when asked about Bolton and other senior Republicans' support for a war with Iran.

As national security adviser, Bolton was the architect of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran. 

Washington withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear treaty and imposed a raft of new sanctions against the Islamic republic under President Donald Trump.

Macgregor has been an outspoken critic of American foreign policy and the Israel lobby's role in fomenting tensions with Iran, according to CNN.

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) August 12, 2020" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Opinion: "The pro-Israel money that once turned races isn't worth as much as it once was." https://t.co/RipTLUACm3 — The New Arab (@The_NewArab) August 12, 2020

In a 2012 interview with Russian state broadcaster RT, he described Israel-linked lobby groups as having an "enormous influence" on US lawmakers.

"I think the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and it's subordinate elements or affiliated elements that represent enormous quantities of money that over many years have cultivated an enormous influence in power in Congress," Macgregor said.

Critiquing the role of Israel-linked lobby groups in Washington has been highly controversial in the past.

Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was last year accused of "anti-Semitism" after tweeting politicians' support for the country was "all about the Benjamins".

Responding to CNN about Macgregor's comments, Bolton said: "I don't respond to anti-Semites."

Financial disclosures from before his White House appointment reveal that Bolton received thousands of dollars from pro-Israel groups. 

The State Department declined to comment on behalf of Pompeo but disclosures from 2018 and 2019 do not show any payments from pro-Israel groups.

Failed ambassador nomination

Earlier this year, Macgregor was nominated to become the next US ambassador to Germany.

His nomination came to a halt before the Senate Foreign Relations committee after CNN reported he had made xenophobic and racist comments against refugees and other migrants.

A review of previous radio and television appearances showed Macgregor making claims of "millions of unwanted Muslim invaders" with "the goal of eventually turning Europe into an Islamic state".

In other interviews, Macgregor appeared to downplay Germany's Nazi past, earning condemnation from American Jewish groups.

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