(José Niño, Headline USA) Before pouring millions into Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, billionaire Larry Ellison coordinated with an Israeli diplomat to test whether the Florida senator would be a reliable advocate for Israel, leaked correspondence shows.
According to a report by Drop Site News, In April 2015, Ellison exchanged emails with Ron Prosor, then serving as Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, discussing Rubio’s potential as a presidential candidate. “How was the conversation with Mario Rubio,” Prosor wrote to Ellison. “Did he pass your scrutiny? Did you have a chance to talk about Israel? Would love to chat.”
Hours later, Ellison responded enthusiastically. “Great meeting with Marco Rubio. I set him up to meet with Tony Blair. Marco will be a great friend for Israel.”
The correspondence, part of a hacked archive obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a non-profit website dedicated to whistleblower disclosures and file distribution, reveals the Oracle founder’s methodical approach to political patronage.
Within weeks of that exchange, Ellison hosted a fundraiser for Rubio at his California mansion. He eventually contributed $5 million to the Conservative Solutions super PAC supporting Rubio’s campaign.
Today, Rubio serves as Secretary of State, where he has launched an unprecedented crackdown on critics of Israel, detaining and attempting to deport individuals specifically for their criticism of Israeli policies.
The Drop Site News report also noted that Ellison played a central role in steering TikTok toward Ellison’s control and helped roll out plans for Gaza’s future that place the enclave under administration by the Tony Blair Institute, which Ellison has funded with more than $350 million.
As Wired recently observed, “The Ellison family is cornering the market on attention and data the same way the Vanderbilts did railroads and the Rockefellers did oil.”
That consolidation is accelerating. Drop Site News highlighted that Ellison’s Oracle is set to take a lead role in reshaping TikTok in the United States, with the company auditing and retraining the platform’s content algorithm. His son David is moving to control CBS News, CNN, Warner Brothers, and Paramount, reportedly bringing in media personality Bari Weiss to shape editorial direction.
The implications extend beyond corporate consolidation. Ellison has articulated a vision of mass surveillance he sees as inevitable. On an investor call last year, he described a future where “citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.”
His relationship with the Tony Blair Institute has effectively merged the former British prime minister’s organization with Oracle’s operations.
Former staffers describe joint retreats and deeply integrated operations. “It’s hard to get across just how deeply connected the two organizations are,” one former employee said. “The meetings were like they’re part of the same organization.”
Ellison has never hidden his support for Israel. In 2014, The Times of Israel reported that he told fellow billionaires at a fundraiser that “there is no greater honor” than supporting the Israeli military. Three years later, he donated $16.6 million to Friends of the IDF, the largest gift the organization had ever received. He maintains a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has visited Ellison’s private Hawaiian island, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Oracle CEO Safra Catz, who was born in Israel, shares his commitment. Responsible Statecraft reported in a 2015 email to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, she described plans to embed “love and respect for Israel in the American culture” through media projects aimed at countering the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
