We followed the money. It led straight to AIPAC.

On November 2, newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson led a fast-track approval of $14 billion in military aid for Israel’s war on Gaza.

Over the next few weeks, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee delivered $95,000 in campaign contributions to Johnson.

AIPAC is among the most influential power brokers on Capitol Hill, and the nearly six-figure show of gratitude for Johnson is a case study in how the group wields power and gets its way — nearly always below the radar of the corporate media.

The Intercept has been tracking AIPAC’s campaign spending and lobbying activity for years, and with bombs still raining down on Gaza and nearly 27,000 Palestinians killed, it’s more important than ever to expose AIPAC’s influence on U.S. policy.

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AIPAC’s political action committee donated a total of $104,000 to Johnson last year, with the majority of payments coming since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza and after Johnson was elected house speaker in late October. That’s more than four times the roughly $25,000 the group donated to his last congressional campaign, when it was also Johnson’s top donor.

But Johnson is hardly the only member of Congress who has benefited from AIPAC’s largesse — or felt the group’s sting.

In recent years, AIPAC has become a more partisan actor, recruiting primary challengers to progressive members of Congress and launching a super PAC, the United Democracy Project, through which it has spent millions of dollars to help defeat Democratic candidates who express concern or support for the people of Palestine in any way.

AIPAC also funds junkets to Israel for members of Congress through its sister organization, the American Israel Education Foundation. These delegations have become well known on Capitol Hill as a kind of rite of passage for newly elected members.

Meanwhile, there is virtually zero corresponding force in D.C. advancing Palestinian rights.

There’s no way to fully understand why the U.S. keeps pouring guns and money into Israel’s barbaric war on Gaza without closely scrutinizing the activities and spending of AIPAC. However, far too many mainstream news outlets refuse to acknowledge the group’s influence — or worse, dismiss any criticism of pro-Israel groups as antisemitic.

But here at The Intercept, we follow the money wherever it leads, and we refuse to look the other way or provide political cover for any political party or lobbying group.

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