"This announcement is predictable from a President whose idea of justice is to encourage the police to abuse prisoners, pardon his friends, and override the Pentagon in cases of military justice. The White House accuses the ICC of being "an ineffective and out-of-control international bureaucracy.' To the contrary, the ICC has successfully prosecuted some of the world's worst war criminals, and has done so judiciously and professionally.
"The United States was instrumental in negotiating the treaty that established the ICC. War crimes and crimes against humanity occur in all wars, just as police brutality occurs in all countries. The ICC only has jurisdiction if a government fails to prosecute violations of the laws of war by its own soldiers. The United States cannot profess to stand for accountability and refuse to be accountable itself, especially when it involves egregious crimes like torturing prisoners.
"The White House, without producing any evidence, has accused the ICC of "corruption and misconduct.' That should concern everyone, as the ICC must be transparent and accountable. So let's see the evidence. But this is reminiscent of the President's self-serving decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization for failing to criticize China at the same time he was repeatedly praising Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus."