I certainly have had my differences with Rupert Murdoch, but I'm skeptical that he's a large fraction of the American Oligarchy. I certainly haven't seen him mentioned in any article bringing up U.S. oligarchs so far. Here's 2 articles published recently that I found interesting:
Oligarchs: From Ancient Greece to Russia and the U.S. | greekreporter.com
Bernie Sanders: ‘Oligarchs run Russia. But guess what? They run the US as well’ | The Guardian
When I think about our homegrown American oligarchs. I Consider Bill and Melinda Gates, Buffett, Tom Steyer, the Kochs, the Waltons, Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Paul Singer, George Soros, Art Pope, Sheldon Adelson, Penny Pritzker, Pierre and Pamela Omidyar, Rupert Murdoch. They are just a handful of the multi-billionaires who use money to sway presidents, for better or worse. They come from every political corner, and they all use personal wealth to enhance their political clout.
Atop the list of American oligarchs is Donald J. Trump, who used his personal fortune, his connections (known and unknown), and a vast repertoire of unsavory political tactics to become president. Whether or not he qualifies as an evil-doer oligarch depends on the outcomes of various ongoing investigations. Did he use influence and power illegally, or more egregiously than any of his predecessors? Has he used his position as president to enrich himself or his family?
It seems inevitable that some rich people will use their wealth to grow their wealth, and to grab power when they can. It may be just an unfair fact of life that money buys access; the problem is when that access metastasizes into something criminal and corrupt.
Russian and American oligarchs are here to stay. Only through the efforts of an independent Department of Justice, an independent FBI and a courageous Congress can checks and balances secure our democracy.
As voters and citizens, our job is to stay informed, learn all sides of the issues, and find out who stands to gain when a new law or initiative is proposed. Government 101: Money buys access to power, here, there and everywhere.