Like Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working his way through some legal problems.
Among other charges, he was indicted for fraud.
Trump previously made a lighthearted suggestion that Israel’s president offer Netanyahu a pardon, but the president just made an official request, hoping to get his ally off the hook.
Netanyahu’s legal problems date back to 2019, when he was formally indicted on bribery and fraud charges.
The charges stemmed from gifts given to him by wealthy supporters who were allegedly given political favors for the gifts.
Israel’s attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, stated, “A day in which the attorney general decides to serve an indictment against a seated prime minister for serious crimes of corrupt governance is a heavy and sad day, for the Israeli public and for me personally.”
Like Trump, Netanyahu claimed that the system had been weaponized against him, calling the charges “false” and “politically motivated.
Last month, during Trump’s trip to the Middle East, he addressed the Israeli Parliament and threw out the idea of pardoning Netanyahu. It was framed as a joke, but Trump was clearly serious about wanting his buddy off the hook on these charges.
Trump, during his address, stated, "Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President, why don't you give him a pardon? Cigars and some champagne -- who the hell cares?"
According to the filing, Netanyahu accepted gifts that equated to about $210,000.
This was the second time that Trump took up for Netanyahu, calling for the trial to be canceled in June.
On Wednesday, Trump put his request on White House letterhead, formally asking Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu.
He wrote, "Prime Minister Netanyahu has stood tall for Israel in the face of strong adversaries and long odds, and his attention cannot be unnecessarily diverted.”
Trump later added that he thought the case was "political, unjustified prosecution, while further stating that he respects the independence of Israel’s judiciary.
When you have a man who sends you nearly $4 billion in aid every year, that request is going to be hard to turn down. Herzog, to this point, has been very quiet about the case, so let’s see if Trump’s pressure campaign works.
