Trump asks Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu’s corruption charges
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption and fraud.
Trump asked Herzog to consider fully pardoning Netanyahu in a letter shared by Herzog’s office. Trump wrote that Netanyahu has been a “formidable and decisive” leader for Israel during wartime and led Israel “toward a period of peace.”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has defended Israel in the face of powerful adversaries and long odds, and his attention cannot be unnecessarily diverted,” the letter read.
Trump wrote that while he “absolutely” respects the independence of Israel’s judicial system, he believes the case against Netanyahu is an “unwarranted political prosecution.”
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President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before boarding Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv, as Israeli President Isaac Herzog, left, looks on. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Netanyahu is currently on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. The trial, which began in 2020, marked the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister testified as a criminal defendant.
Trump wrote that “it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by forgiving it and ending this legal war once and for all.”
President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House for a meeting April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
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Herzog declined to take a position on the issue, and his office issued its own statement that a request for a presidential pardon must go through the proper channels, which involves the person seeking a pardon making a formal request.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The statement said Herzog holds Trump in the “highest esteem” and “continues to express his deep gratitude” for Trump’s support for Israel and his “enormous” role in the return of the Gaza hostages.
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Trump previously urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu during a speech to the Israeli Knesset last month.
Yonat Friling of Fox News contributed to this report.
