Rubio Pulls Major Move Against International Criminal Court

The State Department is sanctioning the International Criminal Court, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday.

The court plainly describes itself as “trying individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression,” and has placed warrants against world leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Today, the Trump Administration is sanctioning the ICC. This action should encourage our Allies within the Court to work for solutions to end this threat to U.S. sovereignty forever. https://t.co/D86dCqLUaZ

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 9, 2026

“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio stated.

“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate,” he continued. 

However, the Secretary of State said that “we hold out hope for a diplomatic solution.” 

“We have structured this action to provide an opportunity for States Parties to negotiate and present a solution to address our concerns,” he said. “If these efforts do not bear fruit, we will continue to adjust accordingly.”

The ICC expectedly disagreed with the move by the U.S. 

“The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes” ICC President Tomoko Akane said in a statement on Friday. 

This is another step taken after the Justice Department made it clear in July that Americans are not subjected to any sort of jurisdiction by the court. 

“The ICC has acted in an increasingly lawless and illegitimate manner,” Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in his letter to Akane at the time. “Its record of selective enforcement and credible allegations of internal misconduct raise serious doubts about the ICC’s impartiality, credibility, and legitimacy.”

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