David Milstein, a senior advisor to US Ambassador Mike Huckabee to Israel, used his position to quash reports on Israeli activities in the West Bank "to present the Netanyahu government in a favorable light" to Washington, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The report is based on 12 anonymous sources that either work or interact with Milstein in both Jerusalem and Washington, the NYT said.
The NYT report alleged that Milstein enabled an annexation effort of the West Bank by assisting in the acceleration of Israeli settlements in the region primarily by suppressing reporting that would upset the Trump administration.
For example, the NYT said that Milstein blocked reports suggesting the Israeli government was failing to take action against violent settler extremists, instead sending a cable "praising Israel for 'cracking down' on the attacks."
In another instance, the report claims that a detailed report, written by embassy staff in response to a request by members of Congress to look into the death of Palestinian-Americans, was suppressed.
The NYT was told by sources that Milstein insisted on approving communications from the embassy upon his 2025 arrival in Jerusalem. Sources claimed the number of cables sent per month between the two countries dropped significantly after he took office.
Reviewing and editing diplomatic cables is a standard administrative function of ambassadors and senior staffers.
Huckabee decries NYT report, cites lack of sources
Huckabee has responded to the NYT report, excoriating the publication for using "cowardly 'anonymous sources,'" while accusing it of refusing to use a statement he gave when asked for comment.
The Times report, however, said that Huckabee declined interview requests.
In a post on X/Twitter, Huckabee slammed the report.
"The elements of the story the New York Times is trying to assemble are so lacking in fact that it ranks up with other Times farcical endeavors like the embarrassing 'dog rape' story, or the totally debunked story about a small boy being shot in the face by IDF in Gaza," Huckabee wrote.
He continued his X post, writing that he "personally and categorically refute the elements of your proposed ‘story’ and I’m surprised that you expect to be taken seriously with such nonsense without even one named source."
The ambassador then threatened that the NYT could face litigation for defamation.
"You should consult your attorneys as to whether publishing such drivel could subject the Times to litigation for defamation. There is a reason [US President Donald Trump] calls them 'Fake News,'" he wrote.
Ex-ambassador Friedman: NYT report on Milstein is a 'hit piece'
Former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman also took to X to defend Milstein, calling the NYT report a "hit piece" based solely on anonymous sources, before offering his own testimony.
"Well, here’s a non-anonymous source who would have refuted this nonsense: me!" he wrote.
"David worked for me for several years when I was the US Ambassador to Israel. The Times knows me well and knows how to reach me. But they never did. Had the Times reached out, I would have categorically refuted its baseless claims."
Milstein served as an aide to US Senator Ted Cruz from 2013 to 2018 before becoming an assistant to Friedman until 2021. He returned to the role in 2025 under Huckabee during the second Trump administration.