US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had told him a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “on its way”, an assertion Herzog’s office was quick to challenge.
“He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?” Trump told reporters while standing beside Netanyahu before a meeting in Florida. “I spoke to the president … he tells me it’s on its way.”
Asked about the US president’s remarks, Herzog’s office said the Israeli president had not had any conversations with Trump since a pardon request was submitted several weeks ago.
Advertisement
Herzog’s office said Herzog had spoken to a representative for Trump then and it was explained that any decision would be made in accordance with established procedures.
Netanyahu, Israel’s first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime, denies bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment.
Advertisement
His own request for a pardon, submitted on November 30, argued that frequent court hearings impair his ability to govern and that clemency serves the national interest.