United States President Donald Trump yesterday disclosed plan to revoke Joe Biden’s security clearance and access to daily intelligence briefings, after his predecessor did the same to him four years ago.
The move comes as dozens of countries, including Germany, South Africa and Mexico, yesterday said Trump’s decision to sanction the International Criminal Court would “erode the international rule of law.”
Trump who wrote about plan to cut biden’s security clearance on his Truth Social platform, noted: “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information.”
“Joe, you’re fired,” BBC quoted the Republican to have added in a reference to his catchphrase on the reality TV show The Apprentice.
Trump has already revoked the security clearance of more than four dozen former intelligence officials whom he accused of meddling in the 2020 election in Biden’s favour.
Trump posted that Biden “set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents.”
He said Biden “could not be trusted with sensitive information”, citing a justice department inquiry into the Democrat’s storage of classified files, which decided not to press charges and said Biden had a poor memory. Biden rejected that characterisation at the time.
Trump has taken steps to revoke the security clearances and protections of other top officials linked to the Biden administration since returning to office.
In 2021, Biden stopped Trump from receiving classified intelligence briefings, the first time an ex-president had ever been denied such information, which is traditionally given as a courtesy.
He justified the move by saying Trump could not be trusted because of his “erratic behaviour”, even before the 2021 US Capitol riot, which Democrats accused Trump of inciting in the last days of his first term.
Meanwhile, dozens of countries have said Trump’s decision to sanction the International Criminal Court would “erode the international rule of law.”
The joint statement by 79 countries came hours after Trump signed an executive order slapping financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC staff and their family members, alleging the court has improperly targeted the United States and Israel.
“Such measures increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the international rule of law, which is crucial for promoting global order and security,” the NBC quoted 79 countries, including Canada and France, to have stated in a statement publicly released by numerous governments.
The statement added that, “sanctions could jeopardise the confidentiality of sensitive information and the safety of those involved—including victims, witnesses, and court officials, many of whom are our nationals.”
The signatories said the sanctions may result in the ICC having to close its field offices.
“We regret any attempts to undermine the court’s independence, integrity and impartiality,” they said, crediting the “ICC’s indispensable role in ending impunity, promoting the rule of law, and fostering lasting respect for international law and human rights.”
The United States and Israel were among a minority of around 40 countries that never signed up to the ICC, an international court based in the Netherlands that seeks to hold to account the perpetrators of war crimes, like genocide.
But after some historic cooperation between Washington and the ICC, Trump’s executive order Thursday accused the world body of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.
The warrants related to events since October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorist attacks killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 others taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Since, then Israel has launched a military offensive that has killed more than 47,500 people in the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials.
The court said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and Gallant used, “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians in Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Israel, which also does not recognise the ICC, dismissed those charges as false and anti-semitic.
The court’s, “recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse, and possible arrest,” the executive order said.
Its signing appeared timed to coincide with Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, in which Trump made the surprise announcement that he wanted the U.S. to take control of the Gaza Strip, shocking and outraging many officials, activists and experts around the world.
The administration of President Bill Clinton was involved in negotiating the 1998 Rome Statute on which the ICC is based. But the U.S. opposed the final draft because of fears it “could subject U.S. soldiers and officials to politicized prosecutions,” according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Sunday Ehigiator with agency report
