A senior U.S. diplomat sent a bizarre memo to embassy staff sheltering in place during Trump’s war on Iran.
Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and current ambassador to Israel, joked about procreating in the memo sent to staff while seeking shelter from bombardments flying overhead.
In the memo, reviewed by the Washington Post and addressed to American diplomats, local staff and family members, Huckabee joked that if the “extended time” with your spouse “results in the birth of your next child in about 9 months, I of course expect that you will want to name the little bugger after me!”
“If it’s a girl, Michelle is a nice name too,” he added. One U.S. official described the memo as “awkward” and “odd.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the State Department for comment. The department and Huckabee did not respond to a request for comment from the Post.
The inappropriate memo came after Iran began targeting U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities across the Middle East in response to the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on the country.
Several embassies in the region have closed, with staff and their families being ordered to shelter in place until further notice.
The U.S. Embassy in Israel, which President Donald Trump moved to Jerusalem in 2017, faced significant backlash online after revealing in a social media post that it was not in a position to help evacuate or directly assist Americans in Israel.
In his own post, Huckabee detailed the options available to Americans currently in Israel, which he described as “very limited” and which primarily consisted of using a bus provided by the Israeli government to travel to Egypt and then boarding outbound flights.
Despite the embassy’s claims that staff were unable to help stranded Americans, the White House rushed to provide assistance to a group of influencers stuck in the region.
The group, which included Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, and TikTok-famous dog walker Sarah Gaither, were able to fly to Greece after White House officials and MAGA Rep. Anna Paulina Luna coordinated with Qatar and Saudi Arabia to arrange a private flight, according to West Wing Playbook.
“This has easily been the craziest experience of my life. I’m grateful for all of the people who played a role in getting us out of the active war zone and to safety. I can’t wait to get back to the USA, the greatest country in the world!” Bruesewitz told Playbook.
Trump announced shortly after winning the 2024 election that he would be nominating Huckabee for the role of ambassador to Israel. Huckabee had formerly attempted to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2015 opposite Trump, but withdrew following the Iowa caucus.
“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump wrote in a statement at the time. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
