U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is facing intense bipartisan calls for his resignation following revelations of a secret meeting he had at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in July with Jonathan Pollard, a former naval analyst who was convicted on behalf of Israel of one of the most damaging acts of espionage against the United States in history.
The unplanned crash was first reported by The New York Times on Thursday. It was kept secret from the White House, alarmed the CIA director, and has been widely condemned as the norm of outrageous betrayal.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, denounced Mr. Pollard without remorse, calling him a “convicted traitor who provided highly sensitive national security information to the Israeli government” and called the embassy’s hospitality “unacceptable.”
Leading conservatives also condemned Huckabee, with prominent commentator Tucker Carlson condemning the “shocking action” of the US ambassador to welcome a man who risked the lives of countless Americans with a leak, adding: “This is a shocking action by a US ambassador. Is Huckabee going to explain it?”
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon slammed the immediate recall, calling him “out of control.”
Mr. Pollard, who was released after 30 years in 2015 and was hailed as a hero upon his arrival in Israel, acknowledged the “friendly” sit-in to thank Mr. Huckabee for his past advocacy, but quickly accused the CIA of leaking details in an “anti-Israel” smear campaign and claimed that the CIA harbored hostile elements that needed to be thoroughly purged.
Critics have warned that the episode exposes Huckabee’s pattern of prioritizing Israel’s far right over U.S. interests, eroding diplomatic norms and stirring up perceptions of undue foreign influence in American affairs.
Critics have denounced the incident as clear evidence that Mr. Huckabee has repeatedly subordinated U.S. sovereignty to extremist Israeli forces, broken long-standing diplomatic red lines and amplified widespread alarm over excessive Israeli influence over U.S. foreign policy.