Powerful influence? That is like saying there is water in the ocean. Their influence is the power that controls the planet. SA group of elite bankers figured out a long time ago that the real controlling power in the world is those who control the money. It was this same elite group that created the federal reserve and began loaning governments money A(that they fabricated out of thin air).
If you want to discuss this further I suggest you go much deeper into what the Federal Reserve is, who they are (all their vested interests), how they got started, how much of your dollar actually goes for debt and how much goes for anything else.
We are dealing with loan sharks that have leveraged governments. Kennedy spoke of this cabal in a famous speech and wound up dead a few short weeks later.