Trump renewed his call to get Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog denying that one is already «on its way.»<\/b>
\nPresident Donald Trump renewed his call to secure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog quickly denying Trump\u2019s claim that a pardon was already \u201con its way.\u201d
Standing side-by-side with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump told reporters that the prime minister is a \u201chero\u201d who deserves a pardon from corruption charges that he is currently fighting in an ongoing trial:
\u201cOh, I think he will,\u201d he said when asked if Herzog would grant Netanyahu\u2019s request. \u201cHow do you not? He\u2019s a wartime prime minister who\u2019s a hero. How do you not give a pardon? I think it\u2019s a very hard thing not to do.\u201d
\u201cI spoke to the president; he tells me it\u2019s on its way,\u201d Trump added. \u201cYou can\u2019t do better than that, right?\u201d
However, the New York Times reported that Herzog\u2019s office \u201cquickly denied that any decision had been made and said a decision was weeks away, at a minimum.\u201d
When Reuters asked about Trump\u2019s remarks, Herzog\u2019s office said the Israeli president had not communicated with his American counterpart since he put in an official pardon request on Netanyahu\u2019s behalf in mid-November.
In his letter to Herzog, Trump called Netanyahu\u2019s trial, stemming from a 2019 indictment, a \u201cpolitical, unjustified prosecution.\u201d
Addressing the Israeli president personally, Trump wrote, \u201cIsaac, we have established a great relationship, one that I am very thankful for and honored by, and we agreed as soon as I was inaugurated in January that the focus had to be centered on finally bringing the hostages home and getting the peace agreement done.\u201d
\u201cNow that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all,\u201d Trump concluded. \u201cThank you for your attention to this matter.\u201d
Upon receipt of the letter, Herzog\u2019s office stated that while he \u201cholds President Trump in the highest regard\u201d and appreciates his \u201cunwavering support for Israel,\u201d any pardon request must follow established procedures.
As Breitbart News\u2019s Joshua Klein explained, such requests must be submitted formally by the individual or an immediate family member, typically after legal proceedings conclude.
In Netanyahu\u2019s own request, submitted on November 30, he reportedly argued that frequent court hearings have impaired his ability to govern at such a tumultuous time in his country\u2019s history.
The prime minister is the first in Israeli history to stand trial while in office after being charged with fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in three different cases.
More on the accusations, which Netanyahu has denied, are detailed by Breitbart News here.<\/p>\n