Netanyahu’s woes mirror those of Trump

JERUSALEM >> He was accused of using his high office to advance his personal political interests. He derided the investigation as a “witch hunt” fueled by “fake news” — an “attempted coup.” He counted on his right-wing base, his hand-picked attorney general and his media savvy to weather the crisis.

Not U.S. President Donald Trump, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was indicted Thursday on corruption charges.

Netanyahu’s indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust marks the culmination of three long-running corruption cases. In the most serious, he is accused of accepting bribes from a telecom magnate by promoting regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for favorable media coverage on a popular news site owned by the company.

The announcement of the charges coincided with the final day of public impeachment hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives, in which officials provided a mountain of evidence to support allegations that Trump used the powers of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Trump and his supporters have furiously denied any wrongdoing, alleging a deep state conspiracy fanned by a hostile media aimed at reversing the 2016 election.

Netanyahu has adopted similar tactics and even the same language, alleging a conspiracy by police and prosecutors to end the 10year rule of Israel’s longestserving prime minister. He has held large Trump-like rallies in recent months and has repeatedly taken to the airwaves and social media, banking on his legendary political skills as the walls closed in.