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Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office has denied claims by President Donald Trump that Herzog assured him a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was imminent.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently standing trial on three separate corruption cases, involving charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, making him the first sitting Israeli prime minister to face criminal prosecution. In Case 1000, prosecutors allege that Netanyahu and his wife received over $260,000 worth of luxury gifts, including cigars, champagne, and jewelry, from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors. Case 2000 involves claims that Netanyahu sought a deal with the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel’s largest newspapers, offering legislative support that would weaken a rival paper in return for more favorable coverage. The most serious, Case 4000, accuses Netanyahu of pushing regulatory decisions that benefited Bezeq, Israel’slargest telecommunications firm, in exchange for positive reporting on the Walla! News site, which was controlled by the company’s owner. Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to all charges, consistently maintaining that the cases are politically motivated attacks orchestrated by his opponents and designed to remove him from power.
What’s going on now: The office of President Isaac Herzog has denied Trump’s claims that a pardon is coming, saying,“There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted.” Instead, Herzog’s team clarified that a conversation took place “several weeks ago” not with Trump, but with“a representative on behalf of President Trump,” during which Herzog simply explained the procedural stage of the request and reiterated that “any decision on the matter will be made in accordance with the established procedures.”
Herzog’s comments came shortly after Trump’s Monday meeting with Netanyahu in Florida, where the former president again lobbied for Netanyahu to be pardoned. “He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?” Trump said, later telling reporters, “I spoke to the president, he tells me it’s on its way.” This latest push follows Trump’s earlier pardon request submitted in writing in November, in which he described the Israeli charges as “a political, unjustified prosecution.”
Some Israeli lawmakers have expressed frustration over what they view as blatant interference in the country’s judicial process by Trump, while others have welcomed Trump’s move.
