WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should receive a pardon for corruption charges, saying Israeli President Isaac Herzog should be "ashamed of himself" for not granting one.
Here are the details:
* Trump said Netanyahu has been a great wartime primeminister and that the Israeli people should shame Herzog for notpardoning him. "He's disgraceful for not giving it. He shouldgive it," Trump said during a White House event. * Netanyahu met Trump in Washington on Wednesday - theseventh meeting between the two leaders since Trump took officelast year - for talks about reaching a deal on Iran's nuclearprogram and its ballistic missiles. * Netanyahu is Israel's first sitting prime minister to becharged with a crime and denies bribery, fraud and breach oftrust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment. * Trump has publicly urged the Israeli president to pardonNetanyahu several times, and said in late December that Herzoghad told him the pardon was on its way. Herzog's office wasquick to dispute it. * Under Israeli law, the president has the authority topardon convicts. But there is no precedent for issuing a pardonmid-trial. * In response to queries about Trump's comment, Herzog'soffice said Netanyahu’s request was under review at the IsraeliMinistry of Justice for a legal opinion, and once that processwas completed, Herzog would consider the request. * "Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule oflaw. Contrary to the impression created by President Trump’sremarks, President Herzog has not yet made any decision on thismatter," Herzog's office said.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Bo Erickson, Bhargav Acharya and Steven Scheer; Editing by Katharine Jackson and Caitlin Webber)
