Former Secretary of State Advocate Tzachi Braverman sent a warning before a lawsuit to Haaretz reporter Michael Hauser-Tov, following his reports that Braverman had shredded documents in the Prime Minister's Office before leaving the post. False, false and misleading. "
In the warning letter, which reached Israel Today, Hauser-Tov was required to apologize for his reports, and to retract his words in full.
"In view of the seriousness of your actions, legal proceedings will be instituted against you," Braverman's attorney, Adv. David Forer, wrote.
Braverman served as Netanyahu's cabinet secretary from 2016 until the end of June 2021, two weeks after Naftali Bennett took office.
According to a Hauser Tov article from yesterday (Wednesday), "Braverman admitted in a recording that reached Haaretz that he shredded documents kept in the prime minister's office during the change of government."
Netanyahu and Braverman, Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
However, according to the former cabinet secretary, the report in Haaretz is false and the reporter deliberately confuses the Prime Minister's Office with the cabinet secretariat. "The Cabinet Secretariat houses the 2nd floor of the Prime Minister's Office. The Prime Minister's Office, on the other hand, is located on the 1st floor. The government is two different places. Mr. Braverman did not tell you or anyone who shredded documents kept in the Prime Minister's Office. "In the Prime Minister's Office, this is a serious act of fraud. Mr. Braverman has nothing to do with documents that were shredded or were not shredded in the office."
It was further alleged against the reporter that he recorded and published a background conversation that Braverman had with him even though he was not allowed to do so.
"You presented the conversation with Mr. Braverman as a 'recording that reached Haaretz.' "The recording was recorded and you were not allowed to record it," the letter said.
In a conversation with "Israel Today", the former cabinet secretary added that it is not possible to shred documents in the prime minister's office at all.
"All the documents used in the office are digitized and stored on a computer. Sometimes it is necessary to print paper, but after use it is always shredded so that documents are not lost and so that they cannot be destroyed. In any case, as Secretary of State I had contact or responsibility for the documents in the Prime Minister's Office, which was on the floor below me. "
Haaretz newspaper building, Photo: Yehoshua Yosef
Sources familiar with the work of the Prime Minister's Office added that the question of whether documents were shredded has no meaning because they are all stored digitally.
"At most, it could be argued that copies or photocopies of documents that were saved anyway were shredded. But, destroying, deleting or hiding documents is simply not possible because everything has been computerized for many years."
Michael Hauser-Tov declined to comment for this article
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