NYT Report: Ambassador's Aide Suppressed Critical Reports on Israel

A comprehensive investigation by The New York Times, based on dozens of documents and internal communications, reveals that David Millstein, Chief of Staff and senior advisor to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, repeatedly acted since April 2025 to suppress or rewrite official diplomatic reports. Millstein, 36, a conservative aide who previously worked for Senator Ted Cruz and Ambassador David Friedman, became a key figure in the embassy. As the stepson of radio host Mark Levin, Millstein wielded significant authority over sensitive issues in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, using his gatekeeping role to shape information sent to Washington.

According to the report, Millstein's interventions exceeded typical American diplomatic practice and caused deep concern. For example, during a war with Iran in late March, when Israel approved a record number of construction projects in Judea and Samaria, Millstein completely blocked an emergency report from the embassy that warned of a violation of President Trump's red lines against annexation. Similarly, when IDF officials warned of a potential Palestinian uprising due to rising settler violence, Millstein prevented these warnings from being sent, instead issuing a cable praising Israel's actions.

Further instances include Millstein suppressing a detailed embassy report on the deaths of nine Palestinian-Americans in the West Bank, which indicated that most investigations were closed without indictments. He instead demanded a statement portraying Israeli conduct positively. In the summer of 2025, after American diplomats warned in an internal report that the UN humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza was chaotic and deadly, Millstein rewrote the report to present the operation as a complete success, ignoring casualties. This led to frustration in the White House, which had to contact embassy staff directly for an accurate picture.

Millstein also required prior approval for all communications from the department handling Palestinian affairs, drastically reducing the volume of reports from several per week to a few per month as staff feared their work would be blocked or rewritten. While Millstein often acted independently, he sometimes coordinated with Ambassador Huckabee, who also altered information, though he occasionally reined Millstein in. Despite frustration from senior officials in Washington, Huckabee publicly backed Millstein, stating he had "absolute confidence" in him. In response to the newspaper's inquiry, Ambassador Huckabee dismissed the report's findings as "ridiculous" and "factually baseless."