Jonathan Pollard—the convicted spy who sold U.S. national security secrets to the Israeli government—met in secret with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the New York Times reported Thursday. Pollard confirmed to The New York Times that he was welcomed into the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem by Huckabee in July. The White House says it had been unaware of the meeting.

Pollard was released from prison in 2015 and flew back to Israel in 2020 on a private jet owned by Miriam Adelson, a pro-Israel Republican donor.

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In 2011, Ambassador Huckabee traveled to Israel and expressed support for Pollard’s release. “He pled guilty, he served an extraordinary length of time for the crime he was convicted of… it would seem to now be a matter of good will and a good faith gesture for the President to give clemency and release him,” Huckabee said at the time.

Pollard told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that "the reason I wanted to meet [Huckabee] was to express my deep and sincere appreciation for everything he had done to help me when I was in prison."

After the meeting leaked, Pollard went to the press to defend Huckabee and blast other U.S. officials, telling reporters that he “despises” Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who have worked on Middle East issues for the Trump administration. Pollard also criticized President Donald Trump for “imposing” the Gaza ceasefire.