A senior aide to U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee is accused of burying a comprehensive embassy report related to the deaths of nine Americans in the West Bank, according to a Thursday report.
David Milstein, who is the stepson of Fox News host Mark Levin, is said to have often suppressed or twisted reports from embassy staff in Jerusalem to minimize the impact of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and highlight the positive aspects of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, as reported by The New York Times. He allegedly intervened to keep a “detailed” report from embassy staff regarding the murder of nine U.S. citizens by Israeli settlers and security forces under wraps, especially as Congress members pressed for more clarity and accountability, according to the same report.
Following the shooting of a ninth American, 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam, who was killed in February while trying to protect his livestock from settlers, 30 Congressional members sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking updates on the investigations into these killings. By March, the embassy had completed a report indicating that Israeli investigations were stagnant, with some cases closed and no charges filed. Nonetheless, Milstein reportedly sought to respond to Democratic Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen with a brief letter rather than the more thorough report.
The report also suggested that Milstein’s behavior has created a tense atmosphere among embassy staff, causing some of them to express concerns regarding his ties with Levin, who is a strong supporter of Netanyahu. He allegedly minimized the issue of West Bank settlement expansions despite President Donald Trump having previously opposed the Israeli annexation of the region, and downplayed mass casualties during humanitarian aid deliveries to Palestinians.
The Daily Caller reached out to the embassy for comment, and was directed to a post from Huckabee.
In response to the allegations, Huckabee stated that he had provided The New York Times a formal statement, which he later shared in its entirety on X:
The elements of the story that The New York Times is attempting to piece together are so factually deficient they rank alongside other farcical attempts, like the ‘dog rape’ story, or the completely disproved account of a boy shot in Gaza (when, in fact, he was safely evacuated out of Gaza with his mother by Embassy Jerusalem to another country to avoid Hamas). I completely deny the claims in your proposed ‘story’ and I’m astonished that you expect this to be taken seriously with such absurdities lacking even a single named source. Surely, you can do better. Perhaps you should consult with your legal advisors on whether publishing such nonsense could expose the Times to defamation claims.
Earlier in September, Huckabee defended Milstein after a Politico article suggested he sought cash gifts from Israelis to celebrate his wedding.
According to Politico Playbook, Milstein sent out a wedding invitation via Paperless Post on September 16 asking for “monetary wedding gift[s]” in “U.S. dollars or shekels.” He later removed the QR codes and mentioned that the invitation had reached a wider audience than intended. An anonymous intelligence official cited by Politico cautioned that asking for cash gifts from foreign entities while holding a high-level clearance could present national security risks.
