The Trump Department of Justice sent a formal letter to the International Criminal Court telling it flat-out: you have zero authority over Americans, and we will not cooperate — period.
Quick Take
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a formal letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on June 29, 2026, rejecting any claim of authority over American citizens.
- The U.S. never signed the Rome Statute — the treaty that created the ICC — so the court has no legal power to bind Americans under international law.
- Congress passed the American Servicemembers’ Protection Act in 2002, which bans cooperation with the ICC and lets the president use any means needed to free any American held under an ICC warrant.
- This stance is not new — both Republican and Democrat administrations have long opposed ICC authority over U.S. citizens.
DOJ Draws a Hard Line
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed a letter dated June 29, 2026, addressed to ICC President Tomoko Akane. The letter states that the U.S. rejects any ICC claim of authority over Americans — anywhere in the world. Blanche called the ICC’s behavior “increasingly lawless and illegitimate” and cited its “record of selective enforcement” as a reason to deny the court any cooperation. The Department of Justice released the letter publicly on July 2, 2026.
The letter makes the legal case plain. The U.S. Constitution gives judicial power exclusively to American courts — not foreign tribunals. Under a basic principle of international law, a treaty cannot bind a country that never agreed to it. The U.S. never ratified the Rome Statute, so the ICC has no standing to summon, investigate, or prosecute any American citizen.
The Law Has Been Clear Since 2002
Congress backed this position more than two decades ago. The American Servicemembers’ Protection Act of 2002 expressly says the ICC has no authority over U.S. persons — including troops, government officials, and civilians. The law bans all cooperation with the court. It also gives the president the power to use whatever means necessary to free any American held under an ICC warrant. President Trump reinforced this in February 2025 by signing an executive order imposing sanctions on ICC officials, calling the court’s actions an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States.
This is not a new fight. The U.S. voted against the Rome Statute back in 1998. President Bill Clinton signed it in 2000 but never sent it to the Senate. President George W. Bush effectively “unsigned” it in 2002. Every administration since has maintained that the ICC holds no authority over Americans. Even under President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated the U.S. “maintains its longstanding objection” to ICC jurisdiction over American personnel.
Why the ICC Disagrees — and Why It Doesn’t Matter
The ICC argues it can investigate crimes committed on the territory of member nations, even if the suspects are from countries that never joined the court. Some Caribbean nations are ICC members, which is the basis for a preliminary investigation the court has opened involving U.S. officials. The ICC has not issued any arrest warrant for a U.S. official, and experts note the court acts cautiously. Still, the U.S. position is firm: a treaty cannot create obligations for a country that rejected it.
🚨 Trump DOJ Rejects International Criminal Court Authority as They Refuse ALL Cooperation with Globalist Overreach
President Trump and AG Todd Blanche’s Department of Justice told the ICC to stand down — they have zero jurisdiction over the U.S. This bold move rejects… pic.twitter.com/euS9zLOtwK
— Morse Report (@MorseReport) July 3, 2026
Jennifer Trahan, a professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, told Newsweek that the U.S. stance “really isn’t new.” That’s exactly the point. America has never handed its citizens over to a foreign court, and the Trump administration is making sure that doesn’t change. The DOJ made clear it will oppose any effort by other countries to transfer Americans to the ICC as well. For conservatives who believe in American sovereignty and constitutional limits on government, this is the system working exactly as designed.
Sources:
facebook.com, aljazeera.com, justice.gov
