A newly revealed email exchange has shed light on billionaire Larry Ellison’s role in vetting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his allegiance to Israel, years before Rubio emerged as one of the staunchest advocate of the Occupation State in Washington. The correspondence, uncovered by Drop Site News, documents Ellison coordinating with then-Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor to assess Rubio’s pro-Israel credentials during his 2016 presidential run.
The emails form part of a wider cache of diplomatic and private correspondence, now verified in part by investigative outlet Drop Site, illustrating the fusion of pro-Israel lobbying, media consolidation and tech infrastructure under Ellison, a long time donor to the Israeli military and a staunch supporter of the apartheid state.
At the centre is Oracle, the software giant Ellison co-founded and chairs, which is poised to play a decisive role in reshaping the US media landscape and controlling key platforms of public discourse.
Read: ‘PR Commando Unit’ unleashed by Israel to manipulate US discourse
Ellison’s $5 million contribution to Rubio’s 2016 campaign via a super PAC followed these early vetting discussions. The move surprised political observers at the time, as Ellison had not previously aligned himself with hardline conservative candidates. Yet the Rubio connection is now being seen in a broader light as part of a long-standing project by Ellison to embed pro-Israel influence at the highest levels of US power and media.
The Rubio emails gain new significance amid Oracle’s positioning to take control of TikTok’s US operations. The platform’s algorithm and infrastructure will now be audited and controlled by Oracle, as part of a state-backed restructuring driven by allegations that TikTok undermines support for Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently called TikTok the “most important purchase going on right now” for its power in shaping global opinion.
Ellison’s political influence extends further through his funding of the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), to which he has donated or pledged over $350 million. TBI staff and Oracle executives now coordinate closely, holding joint retreats and collaborating on global initiatives. One such project includes a post-war plan for Gaza authored by TBI at the request of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, assigning Blair a role in administering the besieged enclave.
Oracle’s CEO, Safra Catz, has also been implicated in efforts to shift US culture in Israel’s favour. In a 2015 email to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, she wrote, “We believe that we have to embed the love and respect for Israel in the American culture.” Her push included a reality show proposal about Israeli soldiers to glamorise the Israeli military.
This cultural and political engineering extends into social media where Israel pays influencers up to $7,000 per post to flood online spaces with pro-Israel content. The control of TikTok’s algorithm by Ellison’s Oracle now aligns the tech infrastructure with this campaign.
Ellison’s ambitions also intersect with the media empire of his son, David Ellison, who is poised to acquire major outlets including CNN, CBS, and Warner Bros, with reports suggesting Bari Weiss will be brought on to shape editorial direction. Critics fear a monopolisation of attention and data reminiscent of the Gilded Age.
“Weapons change over time,” Netanyahu remarked recently, referring to platforms like TikTok. “The most important ones are on social media.” Ellison is widely seen as the person in charge of this arsenal on Israel’s behalf.