Mike Huckabee Fired Back at Politico Over a Story About His Embassy Aide

Jakob Berg image via Shutterstock
Jakob Berg image via Shutterstock

Politico reported that Mike Huckabee's top embassy aide asked wedding guests for cash.

Huckabee answered with a nearly thousand word statement calling the story a hit job.

What he said next has intelligence officials and conservative media taking opposite sides.

A Wedding Invitation Becomes an Embassy Story

David Milstein is an adviser to Mike Huckabee, the US Ambassador to Israel.

He holds a security clearance in that role.

He is getting married in Israel in October.

On September 16, Milstein sent a Paperless Post invitation that asked for gifts in dollars or shekels.

The invitation included a QR code for guests who wanted to send money instead of a physical present.

Politico Playbook obtained a screenshot of the invitation and published a story on September 21.

The story quoted an anonymous member of the intelligence community who called Milstein a "giant walking counterintelligence red flag" for soliciting cash from what the story described as foreign nationals.

After Politico asked whether the State Department or White House had approved the solicitation, Milstein sent a follow-up note.

It stated "we cannot accept gifts of any kind."

Huckabee's Response

Huckabee posted a response on social media running close to a thousand words.

He called Politico "Politicrap" and described the story as an "attempted hit job on an Embassy" staffer.

He called it a "swing and a miss."

He did not address the specifics of the invitation or the security clearance question directly.

He also voiced support for President Trump's decision, three days earlier, to bar Politico, CNN, and MS NOW from the White House.

Mark Levin, a Fox News host and Milstein's stepfather, posted a separate response.

He said the invitation "was intended for family and close friends but went to the larger email list."

He said Milstein corrected it within forty eight hours of anyone raising a question.

Levin called Politico's story "pathetic," "unconscionable," and a "disgusting hit piece."

That doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Security Concerns Behind the Story

Politico's source is not the only voice raising the clearance question.

A former intelligence official who has conducted security clearance background investigations told reporters that soliciting money from foreign nationals while holding a security clearance can trigger a formal review.

That review can result in suspended access to classified material pending an investigation.

Milstein has not been accused of a crime.

No formal counterintelligence inquiry has been publicly confirmed, and the State Department declined to comment on the matter.

Huckabee's office has not indicated any change to Milstein's role.

The dispute sits on top of an unrelated fight over press access.

Trump announced the ban on Politico, CNN, and MS NOW on September 18.

Those three outlets filed suit against the administration on September 21, the same day the Milstein story ran, seeking to have their White House access restored.

Where the Story Stands

Two sets of facts are not in dispute.

Milstein sent an invitation that asked for cash gifts and reached a wider list than he says he intended.

He holds a security clearance tied to his embassy role.

Everything beyond that is where the two sides split.

Politico's source frames the invitation as a security concern serious enough to warrant scrutiny.

Huckabee and Levin frame it as an ordinary wedding mix-up blown into a story by an outlet that had just lost its White House access.

No investigation, disciplinary action, or clearance review has been publicly confirmed as of this writing.

The wedding is still scheduled for October.

Sources:

  • Daily Caller, "Mike Huckabee Goes On 1,000-Word Rant After Politico Accuses Top Advisor Of Soliciting Cash Gifts From Israelis," September 21, 2026.
  • Raw Story, "'Giant walking red flag': Spy world horrified at report Huckabee aide solicited cash gifts," September 2026.
  • Mediaite, "Mark Levin Celebrates Trump Banning Politico, Slams 'Disgusting Hit Piece' of Ambassador Aide Stepson," September 2026.
  • The Times of Israel, "Huckabee adviser accused of breach after asking Israeli guests for monetary wedding gift," September 2026.
  • CNBC, "Trump says he's banning MS NOW, CNN and Politico from White House," September 18, 2026.
  • NPR, "CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump after being barred from White House," September 21, 2026.

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