Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing he has sent a letter on behalf of 20 state attorneys general supporting the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (ICC Act), legislation sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) to protect American civil and military officials from unlawful prosecutions by the International Criminal Court (ICC):
“An ICC prosecutor has recently claimed the authority to prosecute the civilian and military leaders of Israel under the treaty creating the ICC despite Israel, like the United States, neither being a party to the treaty nor agreeing to be bound by the court. If the ICC can unlawfully prosecute Israelis, it can also unlawfully prosecute Americans.
“I applaud Sen. Cotton and his Senate co-sponsors—as well as those sponsoring the companion bill in the House—for this much-needed legislation. Our nation does not recognize the authority of the ICC over American citizens as the ICC does not recognize the protections of the Bill of Rights to which all Americans are entitled. It is imperative that the Senate immediately take up and pass Sen. Cotton’s bill.”
Cotton’s legislation (S. 4484) is co-sponsored by Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), James Risch (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Susan Collins (R-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Ted Budd (R-NC). Its House companion bill (H.R. 8282), sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and 76 co-sponsors, passed with broad bipartisan support.
The legislation takes swift action to deter persons involved with the ICC from furthering efforts to assert unlawful authority. Specifically, as already passed by the House, the ICC Act would impose sanctions on any foreign person who the President determines has engaged in, aided, or materially assisted the ICC’s illegitimate prosecutorial actions. Those actions include any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any American citizen, any person who is currently or formerly either a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, an elected or appointed United States government official, or a person employed by or working on behalf of the United States government, as well as any entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States. Sanctions are similarly triggered by ICC actions against any citizen of a NATO ally or major non-NATO ally that has not consented to ICC jurisdiction or is not a party to the Rome Statute.
The legislation further requires the President to block and prohibit property transactions by persons involved in illegitimate ICC prosecutions and to immediately revoke any U.S. visa held by them or their immediate family members. Such persons are likewise rendered ineligible to receive admission or parole into the United States. Finally, it rescinds funding for the ICC and prohibits the use of any funding appropriated for the ICC.
Griffin is joined on the letter by the attorneys general of Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
To read the letter, click here.
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