Netanyahu asks for pardon from Israeli president after Trump formally endorses pardon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump have been friends ever since Trump entered the political scene.

Trump had earlier written a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu.

Now that his corruption trial has started, Netanyahu has made his case to Herzog to act on Trump’s wishes.

Pardoning Political Corruption

One of the things that has gotten under my skin during this administration has been Trump offering up pardons for corrupt politicians and other public figures.

Including Trump’s first term, he has close to two dozen corrupt officials whom he has pardoned, always claiming they were treated barely, and that has definitely not been the case.

Several of the officials have direct connections to Trump, including former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who had appeared on Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.

The one that really got under my skin was the pardon of former Nevada politician Michele Fiore, who had stolen money from a fund that was to pay tribute to fallen police officers. Her acts were disgusting, and there is simply no way she ever should have been pardoned.

Another Controversial Pardon

Considering Trump’s war on drugs, it was shocking to hear that he had pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for having conspired to move more than 400 pounds of cocaine into the United States.

Trump stated, "I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly.

"This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success."

I just don’t understand why Trump keeps doing this, and I will never excuse it, especially in this case for this infraction. I am disgusted by it, quite frankly.

Netanyahu Wants the Pardon

Netanyahu is facing allegations of bribery and fraud, but Trump was hoping Herzog would help him to keep Netanyahu in office. Netanyahu has taken much the same defense of Trump in this case, claiming the system is being weaponized against him because his detractors want him out of the picture.

Herzog announced that it had received the request by Netanyahu, calling the pardon request "extraordinary" and acknowledging that it carries "significant implications."

His office formally responded to the request, stating, "After receiving all of the relevant opinions, the President will responsibly and sincerely consider the request.”

I really like Netanyahu, but honestly, it is hard to know if the allegations are legitimate or if this was just a plan by his enemies. Having said that, if he is legitimately found guilty, as much as it pains me to say it, he needs to be held accountable. But I need to see real evidence that he did something wrong.