Morning Note

Imagine you’re an American ambassador, representing the United States in a foreign nation on taxpayers’ dime. You probably wouldn’t host someone who betrayed our country at your embassy, right? 

Not if you’re Mike Huckabee. News broke on Thursday that the Trump administration’s Israel ambassador welcomed convicted traitor Jonathan Pollard for a friendly meeting at the Jerusalem embassy in July. The pair chummed it up despite Pollard selling classified U.S. secrets to the Israeli government during his time as an American intelligence analyst. 

Pollard, born in Texas but a self-described Israel Firster, served nearly 30 years in prison before getting out in 2015. Five years later, he did what everyone who cares more about a foreign country than the United States should do: moved there.

What if this story involved a different “ally”? Say, if America’s Vietnam ambassador rolled out the red carpet for a CIA officer convicted of spying for the Vietnamese. That would be weird, right? It would certainly warrant their removal from office. But because it’s Israel, no one cares. Why? How come they always get special privileges? 

Read more.