Israeli Channel 2 news aired an audio recording Monday of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son bragging about his father advancing a controversial gas deal in the Knesset.

In the recording, Yair Netanyahu tells the son of Israeli gas tycoon Kobi Maimon that his father pushed for the bill that benefited the elder Maimon.

The conversation took place in 2015, while the pair was out partying. In a discussion over money, then 25-year-old Yair told Nir: “My dad arranged for your dad a $20 billion windfall and you can’t spot me NIS 400?”

Netanyahu’s son and his friends were accompanied by a government-funded bodyguard responsible for providing security as they entertained themselves, and who was privy to some of the information.

Apparently recognizing the explosive nature of their comments, even if made in jest, at one point someone in Yair’s entourage jokes that the guard would have to be “murdered” if he ever left his job and told anyone.

Yair has drawn media criticism for living a life of privilege at the taxpayers’ expense.

The audio was released amid a police investigation into corruption allegations surrounding his father, the Prime Minister.

The Netanyahu family released a statement called the airing of the recording part of a “witch hunt” against the prime minister.

Yair Netanyahu later issued an apology saying that the remarks were made under the influence of alcohol, and it was only a “bad joke meant to roast [Maimon] as any sensible person understands.” He added, “I never paid any attention to the gas policy [of Israel] and had no clue about any of the details regarding it.”

Critics of the deal Netanyahu advocated for, argued that it would lead to higher prices for Israeli consumers, while its proponents said the protections given to the gas companies were necessary in order to entice them to invest the billions of dollars needed to develop the fields.

(AP / YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)