Ambassador Huckabee meets with convicted spy, sparking questions and doubts
Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who also formerly served as the Republican Governor of Arkansas, has sparked some controversy amid news that he met with a man who sold U.S. classified material to the Israeli government
by Summer Lane | November 21, 2025
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has come under intense scrutiny for revealing that he met with a man convicted of handing over U.S. secrets to the Israeli government, in an exchange that appears to have been off the books.
Huckabee, who also served formerly as the Republican Governor of Arkansas, confirmed to Axios that he met with Jonathan Pollard, a man convicted in the 1980s of giving classified documents to Israel. Pollard – a dual citizen of the United States and Israel – served almost three decades in prison, and after his release, moved to Israel in 2020.
The meeting, according to reports, took place in July, and Huckabee said that Pollard asked for nothing, nor was anything granted during this meeting.
News of the meeting has sparked some backlash, given the alleged unofficial capacity of the meeting. The White House, for example, confirmed on Thursday that it “was not aware of that meeting,” per White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
She added that President Trump “stands by our ambassador, Mike Huckabee, and all that he’s doing for the United States and Israel.”
In an interview for i24News this week, Pollard displayed hostility toward the Trump administration and bizarrely claimed that the president’s 21-point peace plan for the Middle East “undermines our independence and threatens the security of our country.”
He also expressed his distaste for a peaceable option between Israel and Hamas, instead clinging to the notion that Israel must completely dominate Gaza.
These sentiments, which seem troubling to some, have not helped Ambassador Huckabee’s case. His meeting with the rather hostile Pollard has drawn the criticism of many conservative commentators
“This is shocking behavior from a United States ambassador. Is Huckabee going to explain it?” wrote independent journalist Tucker Carlson on X.
“[Huckabee] ought to be recalled immediately and removed immediately,” said “War Room” host Steve Bannon.
Mike Cernovich noted, “There is no universe where it’s appropriate for Mike Huckabee, who is supposed to be OUR AMBASSADOR and serve our country’s interest, is meeting with Jonathan Pollard, who to this day encourages spying on the U.S.”
Photo: Adobe Stock
