Mother Jones
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The Man Making Pete Hegseth Richer Also Pushes "Pro-Israel Policies" Like War With Iran
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July 23, 2026
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2:19Now PlayingMeet the man working to make the defense secretary richer—and has helped lay the groundwork for Israeli influence on top Trump officials.
In March 2022, Pete Hegseth, then a Fox News analyst and host, spoke at a dinner put on by the Israel Heritage Foundation, a conservative Jewish group that has worked to boost US support for the Israeli far right.
The mostly unmemorable event was held at a midtown Manhattan restaurant to honor former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then a potential presidential candidate yet to fall from Donald Trump’s graces. But one notable aside came when Hegseth singled out the IHF’s honorary chairman, Jonathan Burkan, saying they had become friends.
“Jon has a force of personality that you will never underestimate,” Hegseth said, before adding. “He manages my money now. It’s true.”
Burkan, who works at Morgan Stanley, remained Hegseth’s wealth manager after the TV personality became defense secretary last year. A person with knowledge of the arrangement said Burkan works most closely with Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, who manages the couple’s finances and also functions as a Pentagon adviser.
At the same time he’s working to make Hegseth richer, Burkan acts as a high-level advocate for Israeli interests.
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