Convicted Israeli-American spy Jonathan Pollard said that his meeting with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee at the American Embassy in Jerusalem was a “personal” conversation to express gratitude, not a political exchange, in a phone conversation with The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
“The meeting, simply put, was a personal affair. That’s it," he said. "The reason I wanted to meet him was to express my deep and sincere appreciation for everything he had done to help me when I was in prison."
According to Pollard, the meeting was “misinterpreted” and used by certain figures, both within the US Embassy and the Trump administration, to try to remove Huckabee.
The convicted ex-spy said he requested the session through his lawyer and emphasized that the discussion was about personal matters, not policy. He added that Huckabee was “very gracious,” and that he would not have considered such a routine conversation as something requiring formal reporting to Washington.
Pollard emphasized that the talk focused on thanking Huckabee for his support and kindness to his late wife, Esther. He also alleged that elements inside the embassy and the US administration misinterpreted and “weaponized” the meeting to discredit the ambassador.
Pollard to 'Post': CIA affected interpretation of meeting with Huckabee
He added that he believed “elements in the CIA station” played a role in how the meeting was interpreted.
Pollard singled out former US ambassador Dan Kurtzer and said he believed someone at the embassy had alerted officials in Washington about the meeting.
"Dan Kurtzer is someone I characterize as an enemy of the State of Israel. He has made some very intemperate remarks concerning me that I find, frankly, kind of shocking," Pollard stated. "I understood, the minute I read the article, where this was coming from."
Pollard claimed to have confirmation on the matter.
He added that he spoke to the New York Times to prevent conspiracy theories, but maintained the meeting was a personal affair.
The Post reported earlier Thursday that Pollard and Huckabee met at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, in a conversation that was not on the ambassador’s public schedule. The meeting drew concern among some US officials, according to that report.
Separately, Huckabee has outlined a conservative diplomatic approach in interviews this year, and Pollard, who moved to Israel after serving a US prison sentence for spying, has increasingly been active in public life.
Pollard urged US President Donald Trump to keep Huckabee in his post, arguing the envoy is representing the administration “better than anyone else I could imagine,” and reiterated his view that the embassy’s intelligence staff should be replaced with a smaller team.
"These people are not friends of Israel, and frankly, I wouldn't even consider them friends of the Trump administration either," he said, adding that Trump should "clean out" the CIA.
"The entire CIA station at the US Embassy should be sent home, and a smaller, more professional team should be brought in. A depoliticized team should be brought in to represent the agency."
The White House was not aware of Huckabee and Pollard's meeting, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said later on Thursday. "But the president stands by our ambassador, Mike Huckabee, and all that he is doing for the United States and Israel," Leavitt said at a press briefing.