נחשף: מנדלבליט עשה בעצמו את מה שנתניהו מואשם בו

During the fourth day of testimony by former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in the Netanyahu trial, his lawyer, Amit Haddad, confronted Mandelblit, accusing him of engaging in the same communication practices for which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted in Case 4000. Haddad argued that Mandelblit's actions, including providing detailed background briefings to journalists and requesting edits to interview drafts, represent a double standard within the law enforcement system.

Mandelblit defended his actions, stating that briefings and background talks are legitimate and necessary as long as they do not directly analyze evidence. The confrontation intensified when Haddad questioned Mandelblit about a background conversation he had with Channel 12 journalist Dana Weiss in January 2019, which preceded a report revealing internal details from the Attorney General's office. Mandelblit admitted to providing information to Weiss, but insisted it did not involve analyzing evidence.

Haddad countered that the report contained intimate and precise details from internal discussions that had not yet been fully disclosed to the defense. He further questioned Mandelblit about editing interviews and requesting changes or deletions from them. Mandelblit acknowledged that such actions were not objectionable to him and that he might have engaged in them himself.

Haddad concluded by stating that Mandelblit's description of his own actions as legitimate, including seeking favorable coverage, undermined the prosecution's case. The defense's argument is that the indictment in Case 4000 criminalizes routine journalistic practices that even senior law enforcement officials, including Mandelblit himself, engage in. They contend that portraying contacts with media or requests for fair coverage as bribery and fraud collapses when considering that these same officials maintain close ties, brief journalists, and influence media narratives for their own purposes.