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A report in The New York Times claims that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met secretly with Jonathan Pollard, the former U.S. Navy analyst convicted of spying for Israel, without informing the White House.
According to unnamed sources cited by the NYT, Huckabee held the meeting with Pollard in July at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
The visit reportedly was not included in the ambassador’s official schedule, and senior officials in Washington were not notified beforehand.
Pollard, who served 30 years in a U.S. prison before being paroled in 2015, confirmed to the newspaper that he met Huckabee, saying it was the first time since his release that he had been hosted by a U.S. official in a government building.
He described the meeting as “friendly,” but declined to share details.
Sources told the NYT that the CIA station chief in Israel became alarmed upon learning of the meeting, and that the White House also had no prior knowledge. Senior officials were reportedly displeased once informed.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters the administration was unaware of the meeting but added that President Donald Trump “stands behind Ambassador Huckabee.”
The CIA declined to comment on the matter.
The U.S. Embassy in Israel issued a statement saying the ambassador routinely meets many individuals and does not comment on the content of such meetings as a matter of policy.
It also claimed reporting on the Pollard meeting included “incorrect information.”
It remains unclear whether the State Department had authorized the meeting.
Pollard insisted he did not regret spying for Israel and accused the U.S. of excluding Israel from intelligence sharing.
He also said he plans to run for Israel’s parliament and sharply criticized President Trump, calling him “a madman who sold us out for Saudi gold.”
Pollard was arrested in 1985 for passing classified documents to Israel and was given a life sentence in 1987.
Although he said he only sought to help Israel, some of the information he obtained was believed to have reached the Soviet Union.
A 1987 CIA document later revealed he had gathered intelligence on Arab militaries, Pakistan’s nuclear program, Soviet aircraft and missile systems, and regional armed forces.
Israel initially denied involvement but later granted Pollard citizenship in 1996 and acknowledged that he had spied on its behalf.
He was released on parole in 2015 after serving three decades in prison.
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