President Donald Trump formally requested Wednesday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the corruption trial a “political, unjustified prosecution” in an official letter.
Trump praised Netanyahu as a wartime leader now steering Israel toward peace, urging Herzog to end what he called “lawfare” against the prime minister.
“It is my honor to write to you at this historic time, as we have, together, just secured peace that has been sought for at least 3,000 years,” Trump wrote, thanking Herzog and “all Israelis” for their gracious hospitality and noting he was addressing a key theme he raised in his Knesset remarks.
“As the Great State of Israel and the amazing Jewish People move past the terribly difficult times of the last three years, I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive wartime Prime Minister, and is now leading Israel into a time of peace, which includes my continued work with key Middle East leaders to add many additional countries to the world changing Abraham Accords,” Trump 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,” the president argued.
Trump said he respects “the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements,” but declared, “I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution.”
The letter follows Trump’s October address to the Knesset, where he went off-script to ask Herzog directly: “Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon? Give him a pardon.” The Israeli parliament responded with a standing ovation and chants of “Bibi, Bibi!”
Addressing Herzog personally, Trump wrote, “Isaac, we have established a great relationship, one that I am very thankful for and honored by, and we agreed as soon as I was inaugurated in January that the focus had to be centered on finally bringing the hostages home and getting the peace agreement done.”
“Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all,” Trump concluded. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Herzog’s office confirmed receipt of the letter and issued a careful response, noting that while the president “holds President Trump in the highest regard” and appreciates his “unwavering support for Israel,” any pardon request must follow established procedures. Under Israeli law, such requests must be submitted formally by the individual or an immediate family member, typically after legal proceedings conclude.
Netanyahu declined to comment on Trump’s letter when asked directly Wednesday at the Tel Aviv District Court, where he continues to testify in his defense. During that same court session, Netanyahu referenced the international attention on his case, telling the prosecutor: “You’re trying to create a problem that doesn’t exist. The absurdity was exposed, and then the world discovered it. World leaders are astonished, and I’m not exaggerating. All world leaders, none of them believe it.”
The prime minister faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate cases that have dominated Israeli politics for more than five years. Netanyahu faces charges relating to petty corruption — such as receiving cigars from a friend — that supporters say are politically motivated. The cases are weak enough that even the judges overseeing the trial have suggested that prosecutors should drop at least one of the charges. Yet Israeli voters have consistently reelected Netanyahu throughout the ordeal.
In one case, Netanyahu stands accused of accepting gifts — primarily cigars and champagne — from wealthy businessmen. In another, prosecutors claim he sought positive media coverage from a telecommunications company in exchange for regulatory benefits. Netanyahu never received the promised coverage, though the company did obtain regulatory breaks that, as political analyst Caroline Glick noted in 2018, served the public interest by improving Internet access across Israel. Glick now serves as an international affairs adviser to Netanyahu.
In a third case, prosecutors allege Netanyahu traded regulatory favors for media coverage in exchange for blocking a competing newspaper. Again, Netanyahu received no positive coverage and actually brought down his own government rather than restrict the press freedom of Israel Hayom, a free daily newspaper.
Trump had previously signaled his support for Netanyahu on this issue. In June, he said Israel should drop the charges, and during his October Knesset speech, he dismissed the allegations: “This has been one of the greatest wartime presidents. Cigars and champagne? Who the hell cares about that?”
Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded to Wednesday’s letter by calling it proof of the “full absurdity” of Netanyahu’s trial. “This Kafkaesque proceeding has been ongoing for five and a half years, and who knows for how many more,” Sa’ar wrote. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Herzog to “listen to President Trump,” calling the trial “fabricated and despicable.”
Unlike the U.S. Department of Justice, which maintains a policy against prosecuting a sitting president, Israeli prosecutors have pursued Netanyahu aggressively despite questions about the strength of the charges. Critics, including legal analysts like Alan Dershowitz and former federal prosecutors, have characterized the cases as politically motivated efforts to remove a democratically elected leader from power.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
