Trump rips Netanyahu’s ‘nonsense’ trial, vents at Israel’s president for not granting pardon

President Donald Trump vents frustration at Israel’s president for refusing to grant an outright pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says Israel owes its existence to his cooperation with Netanyahu.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Donald Trump took aim at his Israeli counterpart over the weekend, blasting President Isaac Herzog for refusing to grant an outright pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Sunday, Trump spoke with Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan News, in an interview that focused heavily on the ongoing tensions with Iran, and Trump’s rejection of Tehran’s recent proposal for an interim peace deal.

“I’ve studied it, I’ve studied everything,” Trump said. “It is not acceptable.”

The president also vented his frustration with Herzog after the Israeli president called for renewed talks on a plea bargain while declining to grant an immediate pardon.

“Tell your president to pardon Bibi,” Trump told Kan News.

Trump took aim at Netanyahu’s three concurrent corruption trials, calling the prosecution of the prime minister “nonsense,” while arguing that Israel owes its very existence to the joint efforts of the two leaders.

“He’s a wartime prime minister. They wouldn’t have Israel if it wasn’t for me and Bibi, in that order. You want to have a PM that can focus on the war, not focus on nonsense.”

Trump has repeatedly pressed Herzog to grant Netanyahu a pardon, ending the prime minister’s trial.

In recent months, Trump has publicly chastised Herzog for failing to grant a pardon, despite the Israeli head of state’s insistence that he would not rule on Netanyahu’s pardon request until the request had gone through the full review process.

Last month, the review process was completed, with Justice Ministry experts arguing that granting a pardon prior to conviction and without a plea bargain would be unprecedented.

Herzog declined to offer an immediate response to the pardon request, instead calling on state prosecutors and the attorney general to negotiate a plea bargain with Netanyahu’s defense team.

However, in the interview, Trump rejected Herzog’s push for a plea bargain, reiterating his demand that the Israeli president grant Netanyahu an outright pardon, emphasizing that Netanyahu “cannot accept” a plea bargain.