Huckabee aide suppressed US Embassy reports critical of Israeli government: Report

A top aide to Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, allegedly suppressed an embassy report that was critical of the Israeli government, according to The New York Times , which cited three U.S. officials who work with the aide.

One of Huckabee’s senior advisors, David Milstein, reportedly quashed a memo that criticized Israel’s decision to approve more settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, per the Times. Milstein allegedly blocked its release before it could be shared with Washington lawmakers.

He also reportedly insisted on approving communications from the U.S. Embassy sector that handled Palestinian affairs, according to multiple officials with direct knowledge of the matter. They said they spoke to the outlet out of concern that Milstein’s actions were undermining the standard of diplomatic work.

People who interacted with the aide continued that he went to “unusual lengths” to position Israel in a positive light, the publication reported.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Milstein previously worked as an aide to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and an adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) gubernatorial campaign, where he handled “Jewish and pro-Israel outreach.”

In between his stints in both offices, Milstein worked as a special assistant to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman during President Trump’s first term.

He also made headlines in September when he sent wedding invitations that asked for “monetary wedding gift[s]” in “U.S. dollars or Israeli shekels” alongside a QR code, according to screenshots reviewed by Politico’s Playbook .

Huckabee slammed this report, writing on social media , “If there is anyone I’ve worked with presently or over the past 50 years of my adult life which I’ve had absolute confidence in as one with impeccable integrity, it’s David Milstein.”

A source in the intelligence community reportedly told Politico, “[Milstein’s] a giant walking counterintelligence red flag … the fact that he is blatantly soliciting donations is absolutely jaw dropping.”

The Trump administration previously dropped sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers imposed by the Biden administration, though Huckabee has previously condemned Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, calling it an “act of terror.”

Huckabee has also criticized Americans’ rising dissatisfaction toward Israel, saying in an interview with The Hill’s broadcast partner, NewsNation, that both social media disinformation and foreign propaganda were behind much of this negative perception.