Politicians slammed former police commissioner Roni Alsheich on Monday after he said Sunday that it's difficult to envision a situation in which the attorney-general will not file a bribery indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Likud coalition chairman David "Dudi" Amsalem blasted Alsheich, saying that he "surprises me anew every time [with] his arrogance, chutzpah and boldness."Amsalem told KAN radio that Alsheich "destroyed the Israel Police. He is tramples on anyone who thinks about closing the [corruption] file of the prime minister... go home and shut up. "Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev (Likud) questioned how the ex-police chief could have made such comments about the cases against Netanyahu. "How could he allow himself to speak like that?" she told Ynet in an interview. "It is possible that he even enjoys a bit of what is happening and that it happened during his tenure as police commissioner."Regev said that "it was amazing to see a [former] commissioner, who knows the evidence, is not ashamed to come out and say that we all know the evidence.""This is not true," she highlighted. "Perhaps we should know the evidence and this will stop the leaks from the police and the State Prosecutor's Office. As 'a citizen who cares and knows the evidence,' he shouldn't be making such comments. Is he part of the same Left that is pressuring the attorney-general to file an indictment with all his might?" Meretz chairwoman Tamar Zandberg also weighed in on the war of words, saying that Likudniks need to be "ready to be humiliated" for Netanyahu."What will they tell themselves when this is all over? 'I was a rug that the prime minister wiped his feet on,'" she told Army Radio. "There is a prime minister suspected of bribery and the law enforcement system stands on trial. It would appear these elections are about the future of Netanyahu, not the future of the State of Israel."Coalition head, MK David Bitan told Army Radio that it's certain that every recommendation by the attorney-general will strengthen the Likud's position."The public does not believe in the investigation and its outcome, " he said.
MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid) also responded to Amsalem's attack on Alsheich. "[From] the depth of the investigations, the height of the attacks - Netanyahu and his emissaries lost all the brakes and attacked all law enforcement agencies just like the last criminals," Levy said. He said that the crude attacks on the former police commissioner "are a disgrace and an attempt to threaten the attorney-general and prevent him from making a decision on Netanyahu's corruption affairs."
"The public is not stupid, they understand that when someone is a suspect that person blames everyone but himself," Levy said. "These attacks will not help them and will not deter Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, who is honest and fair and will make his decisions according to his conscience."Assaf Hefetz, also a former police commissioner, said in an interview with 103 FM that "Alsheich tried to protect the law enforcement system, the leaks, the independence of the police and integrity. He did not tell Mandelblit what to do. The legal adviser acts according to evidence."