Sun Jan 18, 2015 6:43PM

The US Congress is “Israeli occupied territory” where lawmakers, particularly those with presidential ambitions, must “please the Israel lobby,” an American investigative journalist says.

“As Pat Buchanan, the former candidate for president has always said, Capitol Hill, the Senate and the House (of Representatives) are also Israeli occupied territory,” said Wayne Madsen, who is also an author and and investigative journalist specializing in international affairs.

“These presidential candidates step all over each other trying to make their way to the Israeli monied interest so they can get nice, big campaign donations for their presidential campaigns,” Madsen told Press TV on Sunday.

US Senators like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul are potential Republican candidates for the White House in 2016.

Paul’s father, Ron Paul, was also a Congressman and two-time presidential candidate. Unlike his more "non-interventionist" father, the younger Paul has promoted US military interventions and broken with some of his father’s policies.

“Rand Paul has unfortunately decided to run for President of the United States in 2016 and he knows that to be a serious contender within the Republican Party, he has to please the Israel lobby,” Madsen added.

AHT/DDB