U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, along with David Milstein—stepson of Fox News host Mark Levin—faced significant backlash for holding an off-the-record meeting in July 2025 with Jonathan Pollard, a convicted American spy who betrayed U.S. intelligence to Israel.
The meeting, which took place at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, was undisclosed to the White House and alarmed senior U.S. officials, including the CIA station chief in Israel.
After his release from prison in 2015, Pollard, who served 30 years in prison for espionage, has since become a controversial figure in Israel, where he was granted citizenship and a hero’s welcome, including a tarmac reception by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He flew to Israel in 2020, on a private jet owned by Zionist megadonor Sheldon Adelson, who also funded his initial relocation and public relations campaign.
During the meeting with Huckabee, Pollard called President Trump a “madman who has literally sold us down the drain, for Saudi gold,” and reiterated his belief that Jews should have dual loyalty to Israel, even encouraging Jews to spy for Israel.
The meeting was kept off Huckabee’s official schedule and was not cleared through standard diplomatic channels, raising concerns about protocol and national security.
Pollard confirmed the “friendly meeting” in a New York Times interview, stating it was the first time in a decade that a U.S. official had hosted him in a government office.
The traitor has consistently defended his actions, claiming the U.S. withheld critical intelligence from Israel, and has labeled the Biden administration as an “enemy” that must be destroyed, using the term “Amalek” to describe it.
The involvement of Milstein, a senior figure at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and stepson of a prominent pro-Israel media figure, has intensified scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest and the influence of hardline pro-Israel networks within U.S. diplomatic circles.
The White House was not informed in advance, and senior officials expressed alarm upon learning of the meeting, though Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president stands by Ambassador Huckabee.
The State Department declined to comment on whether the meeting was approved, and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem dismissed the Times’ reporting as “filled with inaccuracies.”
