{"id":2646655,"date":"2026-08-18T18:21:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T22:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-sanctions-icc-leaders-to-stop-court-from-trying-pretend-offenses\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T18:28:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T22:28:42","slug":"rubio-sanctions-icc-leaders-to-stop-court-from-trying-pretend-offenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-sanctions-icc-leaders-to-stop-court-from-trying-pretend-offenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubio sanctions ICC leaders to stop court from trying &#8216;pretend offenses&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frubio-sanctions-icc-leaders-to-stop-court-from-trying-pretend-offenses%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2646655&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Tuesday, U.S.Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Tomoko Akane, from Japan, and senior trial lawyer abdoulaye Seye of Senegal. This move comes as the Trump governance seeks to isolate the ICC, arguing that the court undermines U.S. sovereignty. The sanctions are part of broader efforts initiated earlier in 2025 following tensions over an ICC arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding alleged war crimes. Rubio emphasized that the U.S. will take measures to prevent the ICC from threatening American sovereignty, asserting that the U.S. would never be tried abroad for &#8220;pretend offenses.&#8221; The U.S. has historically had a complex relationship with the ICC, which prosecutes individuals accused of genocide and war crimes, but the U.S. has never joined the court and has criticized its jurisdiction.Past administrations have had varying stances, with the Bush administration opposing the court, Obama accepting some cooperation, and Trump reversing some relations due to investigations into U.S. military actions. The Biden administration has as lifted previous sanctions and expressed support for certain ICC actions, such as the arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over wartime allegations in Ukraine.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"51\">Marco Rubio<\/a> on Tuesday announced sanctions against the president of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/international-criminal-court\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4389\">International Criminal Court<\/a> and a senior trial lawyer as the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"339\"> Trump administration<\/a> seeks to isolate the international tribunal over what it says are efforts to undermine U.S. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sovereignty\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"6985\">sovereignty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest targets are ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/national-security\/4691805\/doj-cyber-theft-campaign-iran-hackers\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ charges 17 with cyber theft on behalf of Iranian government<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4691647\/rubio-state-department-sanctions-icc-leaders-pretend-offenses\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rubio sanctions ICC leaders to stop \u2018sham\u2019 court from trying \u2018pretend offenses\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4691244\/judge-rules-trump-can-begin-paint-tests-19th-century-building-preservation-groups-sued\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge rules Trump can begin paint tests on 19th-century building after preservation groups sued<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Trump Administration stands ready to take additional measures, if necessary, to systematically dismantle the ICC until it is incapable of threatening American sovereignty,\u201d the State Department said in a news release.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn honor of our Declaration of Independence, Americans will never be transported beyond seas to be tried for pretend offenses,\u201d Rubio added in a social media statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration began imposing sanctions on the ICC and its officials in February 2025. Tensions between the United States and the court escalated after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/benjamin-netanyahu\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"378\"> Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a>, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July, Rubio announced a broader administration effort to isolate the ICC, accusing the court of attempting to undermine U.S. sovereignty.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey believe that they should be in charge of your laws, of your country, your life, and they don\u2019t care whether or not you agree,\u201d Rubio <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4645956\/marco-rubio-isolate-international-criminal-court\/\">said<\/a> in a video address.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ICC prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. The U.S. has never joined the court and has argued that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over Americans without U.S. consent. Other major powers, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"232\">China<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"80\">Russia<\/a>, also remain outside the court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Washington\u2019s relationship with the ICC has shifted across administrations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The George W. Bush administration opposed the court but allowed the U.N. Security Council to refer atrocities in Darfur to the ICC in 2005. The Obama administration was more open to the court, helping transfer suspects to The Hague and offering rewards for information leading to arrests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4685007\/navy-mental-health-sailors-abraham-lincoln-iran-war\/\">NAVY ADMITS \u2018SIGNIFICANT STRAIN\u2019 ON DEPLOYED SERVICE MEMBERS AFTER REPORTS OF WORSENING MENTAL HEALTH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Trump\u2019s first term, relations deteriorated after the court investigated alleged war crimes committed by U.S. forces in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/afghanistan\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"337\">Afghanistan<\/a> and alleged Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories, prompting the administration to end cooperation with the court and impose sanctions on ICC officials.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"445\">Biden administration<\/a> lifted those sanctions in 2021 and welcomed the ICC\u2019s arrest warrant for Russian President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/vladimir-putin\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"79\">Vladimir Putin<\/a> over war crimes in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"82\">Ukraine<\/a> but opposed the court\u2019s investigation into Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rubio sanctions ICC leaders over U.S. sovereignty concerns<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2646656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26216553594664_7cdf82.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36930,22006,84342,5438,5036],"class_list":["post-2646655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-human-rights","tag-icc","tag-international-justice","tag-rubio","tag-sanctions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26216553594664_7cdf82.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646655"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646658,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646655\/revisions\/2646658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}