Prominent supporters of President Donald Trump were caught off guard on Thursday after learning that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee quietly met in Jerusalem with Jonathan Pollard, the former intelligence analyst who sold American secrets to Israel. The meeting happened back in July but only surfaced now, and it immediately raised eyebrows across Washington.
Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, reacted with disbelief when the news broke. “This is shocking behavior from a United States ambassador. Is Huckabee going to explain it?” he asked, questioning why such a sensitive meeting would be kept under wraps. Steve Bannon, Trump’s onetime White House strategist, went even further and called for immediate action. “Immediately Recall Ambassador Huckabee, He is Out of Control,” he posted, signaling how seriously Trump allies were taking the revelation.
Mike Cernovich also joined the chorus, pointing out that Pollard is still seen by many in the intelligence community as someone who encouraged espionage against the United States.
“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.,” he said. Cernovich demanded a full investigation into how and why the meeting took place.
Democrats were just as troubled. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas criticized the secret sit down in blunt terms. “Jonathan Pollard is a convicted traitor who provided highly sensitive national security information to the Israeli government. He did grave harm to our country. He has never shown a degree of remorse for his crimes,” Castro said, adding that Huckabee’s decision to meet privately with him at the U.S. Embassy was “unacceptable.” Former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor echoed those concerns.
The New York Times revealed the meeting on Thursday, months after it happened. Pollard confirmed the encounter in an interview, calling it a “friendly meeting” and saying that “a lot of things came up in conversation.” He also used the moment to attack President Trump, calling him a “madman who has literally sold us down the drain, for Saudi gold.” His comments only added more fuel to an already heated reaction.
According to the Times, three unnamed officials said the gathering “alarmed the Central Intelligence Agency’s station chief in Israel,” who questioned why it had been kept quiet. Even more surprising, the White House reportedly had no advance knowledge that the meeting was happening.
Pollard’s history is one of the most controversial in modern intelligence circles. In 1987, he was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of passing classified information to Israel while working as a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst. He served nearly three decades behind bars before being released in 2015.
In 2020, he moved to Israel, flying there on a private jet owned by billionaire and longtime Trump donor Sheldon Adelson. When he landed in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave him a celebratory welcome.
The newly uncovered meeting has now placed Ambassador Huckabee in the middle of a political storm, with both Trump loyalists and Democrats demanding answers about why a U.S. diplomat would privately meet with one of the most infamous spies in American history.