House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that the House will vote on a bill that seeks to hold the International Criminal Court accountable over arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
“This week the House will vote to impose sanctions on ICC officials, and put the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan back in his place,” Johnson said.
“(Khan) does not have jurisdiction over Israel or the United States, and it is outrageous that they’re issuing arrest warrants for (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and (former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant).”
According to news reports a female lawyer who claims to have been subjected to unwanted sexual advances by Mr Khan had raised concerns about the competence of the Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM), the ICC’s watchdog.
Khan responded to a formal sexual misconduct complaint against him by trying to persuade the alleged victim that she should deny the claims, despite having been advised to avoid one-to-one contact.
In a move that has Washington seeing red, the International Criminal Court’s controversial prosecutor Karim Khan, himself under investigation for claims of sexual impropriety, has stepped into diplomatic dynamite, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders that many view as a dangerous overreach. If there was ever a textbook example of judicial activism gone wild, this might be it.
House Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t mincing words. He’s leading the charge to slap sanctions on ICC officials, calling out Khan’s brazen attempt to extend his court’s reach where he is clear that it doesn’t belong.
The ICC’s latest move? Claiming they have “reasonable grounds” to accuse Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of war crimes – this while Hamas still holds hostages.
Neither Israel nor the United States recognizes the ICC’s authority. Yet Khan, seemingly deaf to diplomatic reality, pushed forward with arrest warrants targeting Israeli officials in a move that President Biden himself labeled “outrageous.”
Rep. Chip Roy’s Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act is now taking center stage, promising to put the brakes on what many see as Khan’s unchecked judicial activism. The bill calls out the ICC’s actions for what they are: “illegitimate and baseless” – maybe a warning about the dangers of an unaccountable international body playing political games with sovereign nations.
The House’s message is crystal clear: Khan’s court has crossed a line. With 42 Democrats previously backing similar legislation, this isn’t just partisan politics – it’s about defending allies against what many view as judicial overreach dressed up as international justice.
