Israeli Government Funds Ads on Ted Cruz’s Podcast Through Super PAC

The Israeli government is running advertisements on a popular podcast hosted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), raising questions about whether the staunchly pro-Israel lawmaker is indirectly receiving campaign funding from a foreign country. The ads are part of the $7 million “I am Israel” campaign, launched in June, aimed at encouraging Christians to visit Israel and visit biblical sites.

Radio and podcast giant iHeartMedia has syndicated Cruz’s show, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” since 2022. Because of lobbying-related restrictions, the company cannot legally pay the senator for ad revenue. However, an unusual licensing deal allows iHeartMedia to donate revenue “associated with (the show’s) advertising sales” to the Truth and Courage PAC, a super PAC dedicated to “ensuring that Ted Cruz is re-elected to the United States Senate.” The company has given at least $1,738,000 of “digital revenue” to the PAC since 2023, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The agreement has drawn significant scrutiny from watchdog groups, some of which filed a complaint against Cruz with the FEC, alleging he “brazenly violated” laws that bar candidates from receiving corporate donations. Though the senator admitted to having met with representatives from the company to discuss the acquisition of the show, the agency ruled in his favor, finding “no available information to indicate that Cruz solicited, directed, received, transferred, or spent the funds iHeart paid to the PAC.”

“Cruz’s role was limited to hosting the podcast and he does not appear to have been involved with the decision for iHeart to pay the PAC, meaning that he did not direct or solicit any funds,” the commission found. This ruling highlights the complex legal boundaries surrounding campaign financing and foreign influence.

The Israeli government-funded ad revenue appears to operate in a similar gray area. The advertisements, which are part of the $7 million “I am Israel” campaign, are geared toward encouraging Christians to visit the country and see biblical sites for themselves. These ads are hosted by Cruz’s co-host, Ben Ferguson, who emphasizes the spiritual significance of the Holy Land in one ad.

“Israel isn’t a destination; it’s a revelation, where every site you’ve studied, every scripture you’ve memorized, every sermon that ever moved you suddenly has an address, a landscape, a heartbeat,” Ferguson says. “This is the trip that changes not just how you see the Holy Land, but how you see everything.”

The campaign underscores the intersection of religious tourism and political messaging, raising questions about the role of foreign governments in shaping domestic political discourse through cultural and religious outreach.

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