WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The White House was unaware of a meeting between U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Jonathan Pollard, the former U.S. Navy analyst who spent three decades in prison for spying for Israel, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Huckabee met Pollard in July at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. The meeting was kept off Huckabee’s official schedule and caught U.S. officials by surprise, the Times reported.

Leavitt told reporters that although the administration had no advance knowledge of the encounter, “the president stands by our ambassador, Mike Huckabee, and all that he is doing for the United States and Israel.”

The White House said it was unaware of a meeting between U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, pictured, and Jonathan Pollard.

via Associated Press

Pollard, in an interview with an Israeli news channel, said the meeting with Huckabee took place at his request.

“I had originally requested the interview for a very personal reason,” he said to Israel’s i24 News. “I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for all the efforts that he had expended on my behalf when I was in prison.”

Huckabee, while running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2011, advocated for Pollard’s release.

Pollard was convicted in 1987 and sentenced to life ― the harshest punishment ever for spying for an ally ― for passing highly classified U.S. material to Israel.

He served 30 years before being paroled in 2015 and moving to Israel in 2020.

The case stressed U.S.-Israel relations, and many in the U.S. intelligence community still view his case as one of the most damaging breaches of classified information in U.S. history, while some in Israel regard him as a hero.

The Times said the meeting “alarmed” the CIA and marked a break from the long-standing practice of U.S. officials avoiding contact with convicted spies.

It was unclear whether Huckabee sought administration approval, raising concerns the meeting could signal a softer U.S. stance on espionage by allies.

Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel and political ally of President Donald Trump, has cultivated close ties with Israeli leaders as the administration deepens diplomatic and security cooperation.

The Times said Huckabee has also sought to strengthen ties with Israel’s right wing, with which Pollard is aligned.