White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that President Donald Trump called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial to be canceled because it interfered with negotiations, even though Netanyahu wasn’t scheduled to be in court.
In her statement, Leavitt claimed the prime minister was “slated to go to court last week when he’s in the middle of negotiating a peace deal,” despite the fact that he had not been summoned that day.
“So the president simply, I think, was emphasizing the empathy that he has for Bibi Netanyahu,” she continued.
“Clearly, the president knows that very well; he, too, was a victim of a judicial system that was trying to put him in jail.”
The details of Netanyahu’s trial, including the days he is required to appear in court, are publicly available.
"I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump called for the Netanyahu 'witch hunt' to be canceled
"Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me," Trump said.
"Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel)," Trump added.
"Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land," Trump commented.
Trump also belittled the trial investigating claims of corruption in the Prime Minister's Office, referring to it as a "Horror Show" and a "politically motivated case, “concerning cigars, a Bugs Bunny doll, and numerous other unfair charges.”
"Perhaps there is no one that I know who could have worked in better harmony with the President of the United States, ME, than Bibi Netanyahu. It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu," Trump continued.
"He deserves much better than this, and so does the State of Israel. THIS TRAVESTY OF “JUSTICE” CAN NOT BE ALLOWED!" he concluded.
Reuters contributed to this report.