Trump Says Netanyahu Deserves Pardon, Herzog Responds
President Donald Trump renewed his call for a pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog quickly denying Trump’s assertion that a pardon was already “on the way.”
Standing alongside Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump told reporters that the prime minister is a “hero” who deserves a pardon for the corruption charges he is currently fighting in an ongoing trial:
“Oh, I think he will,” he replied when asked if Herzog would agree to Netanyahu’s request. “How can you not grant pardon? It’s a very difficult thing not to do.”
“I talked to the president; he told me it’s on the way,” Trump added. “You can’t do better than that, can you?”
However, the New York Times reported that Herzog’s office “quickly denied that a decision had been made and said a decision would be made within weeks, at a minimum.”
When asked by Reuters about Trump’s remarks, Herzog’s office said the Israeli president had not communicated with his American counterpart since naming an official. pardon request on behalf of Netanyahu in mid-November.
In his letter to Herzog, Trump called Netanyahu’s trial, stemming from a 2019 indictment, an “unwarranted political prosecution.”
Speaking personally to the Israeli president, Trump wrote: “Isaac, we have established a great relationship, one for which I am very grateful and honored, and we agreed upon my inauguration in January that the focus should be on the final repatriation of the hostages and the conclusion of a peace agreement. »
“Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning it and ending this legal war once and for all,” Trump concluded. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Upon receipt of the letter, Herzog’s office said that while it “holds President Trump in the highest regard” and appreciates his “unwavering support for Israel,” any request for clemency must follow established procedures.
Like Joshua Klein of Breitbart News explainthese requests must be submitted formally by the person or a member of their immediate family, usually after the legal process has concluded.
In Netanyahu’s own request, submitted on November 30, he reportedly argued that the frequent court hearings had impaired his ability to govern during such a tumultuous period in his country’s history.
The prime minister is the first in Israeli history to be tried while in office after being accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different cases.
Further information on the accusations, which Netanyahu has denied, are detailed in Breitbart News. here.
Olivia Rondeau is a political reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find it on X/Twitter And Instagram.
