President Donald Trump sharply criticized Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, accusing him of mishandling Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon related to the ongoing corruption trial against him.

During a phone conversation with Channel 12 reporter Barak Ravid, Trump raised the issue of the pardon on his own initiative and attacked Herzog for insisting that he must first receive a recommendation from Israel’s Justice Ministry before deciding on the matter.

“He doesn’t need any legal opinions,” Trump said. “He is full of [garbage]. He is a weak and pathetic guy. I want Bibi [Netanyahu] to be focused on the war — not on [garbage].”

Trump has repeatedly expressed anger at Herzog over the president’s refusal so far to issue a pardon to Netanyahu while the legal proceedings against him continue. Just last week, Trump described Herzog as a “disgrace” for not granting the pardon.

The American president has also raised the issue several times in recent months. In comments made last month, Trump said Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for declining to pardon Netanyahu, and during an address to the Knesset in October he publicly pressed Herzog on the same matter.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that Herzog previously assured him that he would grant Netanyahu a pardon. Officials in the Israeli president’s office have rejected that claim.

Responding to Trump’s criticism last week, Herzog’s office said the president “greatly respects and appreciates” Trump, but emphasized that the decision regarding the pardon request would be made “without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind.”

Herzog has not yet ruled on the pardon application submitted by Netanyahu’s legal team in November.

Hebrew-language media outlets reported Wednesday that the Justice Ministry’s pardons department has concluded that the request does not satisfy the necessary legal criteria. Under those circumstances, Herzog is widely viewed as unlikely to approve a pardon.

Earlier Wednesday, the Justice Ministry confirmed that the pardons department had finalized its legal opinion on Netanyahu’s request and transferred the document to Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu. Justice Minister Yariv Levin recused himself from involvement due to a potential conflict of interest.

According to a report by the Ynet news site, the pardons department concluded that granting a pardon would be difficult because Netanyahu’s trial is still underway, he has not been convicted, and his request did not include an admission of guilt or an expression of remorse.

{Matzav.com}