In a conversation with several of his acquaintances on the eve of the Passover holiday, former Minister Rafi Eitan revealed that he planned to approach President Reuven Rivlin with a request to pardon former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert so that his criminal record be expunged. Olmert was released from prison last year after serving 16 months for “disgraceful" — ethical — offenses. A person convicted of such crimes is ineligible for several public offices, including the premiership. Should Rivlin agree, Olmert could then return to political life and perhaps even find himself re-elected prime minister just nine months after being released from prison for bribery, fraud, breach of trust and interfering with a legal investigation.
When I first learned of this last week, it seemed unreal. How could Olmert, a man with the questionable distinction of being the first Israeli prime minister to serve time in prison, think that such a comeback is possible? Or could he be unaware of what Eitan was up to? When I posted the news on Twitter April 2, the inevitable responses were quick in coming. Most people were shocked at Olmert's chutzpah. Some questioned the reliability of the news.
