Report: Clooney Irked by White House Response to ICC

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Actor George Clooney called a top aide to President Joe Biden to complain about the president’s criticism of the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Israel — a case his wife, Amal Clooney, worked on, according to the Washington Post.

George Clooney called Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, after Biden called it “outrageous” that the ICC was seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Post reported.

The actor was concerned that sanctions against the ICC would affect his wife, the Post said. The Biden campaign was concerned that George Clooney would withdraw from an upcoming fundraiser in Los Angeles featuring Barack Obama, Jimmy Kimmel, and Julia Roberts.

The actor, a prominent supporter of the Democratic Party, has donated millions, including $500,000 to Biden’s campaign in 2020. Last year, Biden appointed Clooney to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Amal Clooney, an international human-rights lawyer, was tasked by ICC prosecutors to help with the investigation. She reviewed evidence of suspected war crimes and provided legal analysis, she said in a statement published by the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

“I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law,” Amal Clooney said. “I support the historic step that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken to bring justice to victims of atrocities in Israel and Palestine.”

The ICC also said it was seeking arrest warrants against Hamas for its role in the war.

The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday to sanction the ICC with, 42 Democrats joining every Republican in voting for the legislation. Biden said he would veto it and the bill is not expected to get a vote in the Senate.

The legislation would apply sweeping economic sanctions and visa restrictions to individuals and judges associated with the ICC, including their family members.