US ambassador defends ICC sanctions with incompetence
The Trump administration is sanctioning the International Criminal Court to "protect U.S. sovereignty" from accountability. The US ambassador to the Netherlands posted this defense on X, tagging the International Cricket Council instead of the actual ICC.
But the real embarrassment is the statement itself: framing sanctions on a court investigating American actions as "friendship" and "open interchange" with allies who are actually furious about it. The Netherlands doesn't buy it. The EU doesn't buy it. Nobody buys it except the people already convinced that international law is a conspiracy against America.
This is what happens when you staff an administration with people selected for loyalty over competence. Typos are the least of it.
Friendship between nations is strengthened not by silence on hard subjects, but by open, respectful interchange. Our position on the @ICC is clear. On October 9, Secretary of State @SecRubio announced institutional sanctions on the #ICC, with a 180-day general license authorizing certain activity involving the court. These sanctions are designed to protect U.S. citizens and U.S. sovereignty. We are committed to serious discussion with our partners in the Netherlands and elsewhere to work through this. Let me be clear: it is not a retreat from the pursuit of justice. Friends can differ, even fundamentally, and still walk forward together. Appreciate the chance to speak openly about this issue in @FD_Nieuws. Read my op-ed (in Dutch): https://fd.nl/opinie/1615639/ambassadeur-vs-eerlijke-woorden-over-het-internationaal-strafhof
Source
x.com