Republicans Turn to Trump After Democrats Block Texas-led ICC Sanctions Bill

Senate Republicans are requesting President Donald Trump exercise his executive authority to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) after Democrats blocked a bill doing the same. 

The ICC is an international tribunal designed to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act was filed by Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) and passed in the US House of Representatives earlier this January. 

The act would sanction any individual helping the ICC investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute the US or any of its allies that have not acceded to the ICC’s jurisdiction. 

The bill follows bipartisan condemnation of the ICC’s prosecution of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), for example, had condemned the arrest warrant requests as “not only profoundly unfair, but (also) reprehensible.”

However, Senate Democrats that had opposed ICC action against Israel, including Senator Schumer, recently voted to prevent the ICC-sanctioning bill from reaching the Senate’s floor for a vote. 

Schumer claimed the bill’s text threatened American technology firm’s contracts with the ICC.

“As much as I oppose the ICC’s deep bias against Israel—and as much as I want to see that institution drastically reformed and reshaped—the bill before us is poorly drafted and deeply problematic..it will have many unintended consequences,” said Schumer. 

“The bill, as drafted, would enable sanctions against American companies who have contracts to support the ICC’s technology functions.”

Republicans rebuked Schumer’s claims, claiming they conceal undue deference to the ICC. 

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) is the bill’s lead co-sponsor and criticized Democrats for preventing a floor vote on the measure. 

“(Democrats) had 10 months to negotiate this bill, but instead waited until the last minute to demand unworkable changes that would give carve outs to big tech,” said Senator Cotton. “Make no mistake-Democrats weakened our national sovereignty and Israel’s ability to defend itself today.”

President Trump has yet to declare whether he will sanction the ICC.