NYT: Top Huckabee aide distorted US embassy reporting in bid to protect Israeli government; envoy issues denial

David Milstein, a senior adviser to US Ambassador Mike Huckabee in Jerusalem, has for over a year sought to restrict or reshape the US embassy’s reporting on Israeli government actions – particularly in the West Bank – in an effort to shield Jerusalem from criticism in Washington, The New York Times reports, citing 12 sources involved in or familiar with the matter.

Since starting his post in April 2025, Milstein has allegedly blocked some reports from reaching Washington, substantially modified others, and held up drafts until the information lost its relevance, according to the report.

Among the episodes described, Milstein reportedly intervened in embassy reporting on Israeli settlement activity and settler violence in the West Bank, including after Israel approved an unprecedented number of settlements in late March and during a surge in settler violence in the spring.

In another case mentioned in the report — which was previously reported by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft — US diplomats drafted a cable in summer 2025 warning about worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza following Israel’s aid blockade on the Strip, but Milstein instead transmitted a separate cable portraying the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in much more favorable terms.

The Times says it interviewed 15 US officials who had worked with Milstein in some manner and reviewed dozens of internal cables, memos and other communications. Several sources said they spoke “out of concern that officials in Washington were getting a distorted view of Israeli actions through core diplomatic channels.”

The newspaper says it is unclear how much Huckabee knew about Milstein’s interventions or whether they affected White House policy. Officials told the Times that Huckabee had at times worked with Milstein to suppress or recast reporting, but had also reined him in on occasions when he believed the adviser had gone too far.

Huckabee did not address specific instances cited by the Times, but told the outlet in a statement that “the elements of the story… are so lacking in fact that it ranks up with other Times farcical endeavors,” and that he “personally and categorically refute[s]” the report.

The US State Department told the newspaper: “The entire team at State remains focused on advancing President Trump’s America First agenda.”

Milstein, US-born, previously served as a special assistant to David Friedman when he served as Trump’s first-term ambassador to Israel, and before that worked as a legislative aide to Republican Senator Ted Cruz. He is the stepson of Fox News host Mark Levin, a prominent Trump ally and outspoken supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.