Trump sanctions on ICC protects US military and government officials, former NSC official says

JERUSALEM - President Donald Trump's enforcement bid sanctioning the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) volition forestall a slippery slope of U.S. subject and authorities officials facing prosecution from a nebulous judicial bureaucracy successful the Netherlands, reason critics of the planetary transgression body.

Richard Goldberg, a erstwhile Trump authoritative who served connected his archetypal National Security Council, told Fox News Digital, "This is simply a captious archetypal measurement successful defending American soldiers and officials from further lawfare illegitimately waged by extremist anti-Americans astatine what’s go an planetary kangaroo court. Israel whitethorn beryllium successful the quality today, but time it volition beryllium the Americans who are inactive being wrongfully investigated by the tribunal for expected warfare crimes successful Afghanistan."

Goldberg, a elder advisor astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, added, "These ICC officials person crossed a line, they person entered the battlefield against the United States and Israel by perverting planetary instrumentality and utilizing it arsenic a instrumentality of warfare. The president has preserved an escalation ladder here, too. These sanctions lone use to officials and work providers, not to the tribunal itself. We could perfectly spell the adjacent measurement and unopen down the tribunal if this lawfare isn’t terminated."

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A wide presumption of the International Criminal Court gathering successful The Hague, Netherlands, connected April 30, 2024. (Selman Aksunger/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The ICC fired backmost successful a connection and said it "condemns the issuance by the U.S. of an Executive Order seeking to enforce sanctions connected its officials and harm its autarkic and impartial judicial work. The Court stands firmly by its unit and pledges to proceed providing justness and anticipation to millions of guiltless victims of atrocities crossed the world, successful each Situations earlier it. We telephone connected our 125 States Parties, civilian nine and each nations of the satellite to basal agreed for justness and cardinal quality rights."

Trump signed the executive bid punishing the ICC connected Thursday successful effect to its May 2024 apprehension warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's erstwhile Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. 

Netanyahu praised the bid successful a statement. "Thank you, President Trump for your bold ICC Executive Order. It volition support America and Israel from the anti-American and antisemetic corrupt tribunal that has nary jurisdiction oregon ground to prosecute successful lawfare against us. The ICC waged a ruthless run against Israel arsenic a trial tally for enactment against America. President Trump's Executive Order protects the sovereignty of some countries and its brave soldiers."

The ICC is reportedly inactive investigating U.S. citizens for warfare crimes committed successful Afghanistan. (AP)

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said connected Friday that Trump’s sanctions connected the ICC are "absolutely understandable." He added the ICC has become "a biased governmental tool" and that the cardinal European state was evaluating its practice with the ICC. 

Goldberg said, "The president wasn’t going to hold astir connected Schumer’s games to act. The infinitesimal Senate Democrats blocked the measure it was a warrant you would spot an enforcement bid follow. But if Schumer present says helium supports the order, Senate Republicans should determination rapidly to codify it and unit Schumer backmost to a vote."

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President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reply questions during a associated property league successful the East Room astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., connected Feb. 4, 2025. ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Dozens of countries expressed their "unwavering support" for the ICC connected Friday, a time aft Trump authorized perchance far-reaching economical and question sanctions against the court's staff.

"We reaffirm our continued and unwavering enactment for the independence, impartiality and integrity of the ICC," a radical of astir 80 countries said successful a associated statement. "The tribunal serves arsenic a captious pillar of the planetary justness strategy by ensuring accountability for the astir superior planetary crimes, and justness for victims."

The signatories came from each parts of the satellite but marque up lone astir two-thirds of the 125 subordinate states of the permanent court for the prosecution of warfare crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression.

Among the countries who agreed to the connection were France, Germany and Britain. Among those absent were Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy.

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Goldberg said that "The president wasn’t going to hold astir connected Schumer’s games to act. The infinitesimal Senate Democrats blocked the measure it was a warrant you would spot an enforcement bid follow. But if Schumer present says helium supports the order, Senate Republicans should determination rapidly to codify it and unit Schumer backmost to a vote."

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer,D-NY., torpedoed a GOP-led measure to authorisation the ICC successful January.

Reuters and Fox News' Diana Stancy contributed to this article