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Two months after the International Criminal Court 

 into potential war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Trump administration is pushing back. 

President Trump has imposed economic sanctions against court officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States."

The executive order released Thursday also expands visa restrictions against court officials and their families.

Trump said the ICC investigation threatens to subvert U.S. sovereignty and subject U.S. officials and their allies "to harassment, abuse, and possible arrest" — and "thereby threaten the national security and foreign policy of the United States."

Washington has long been at loggerheads with the ICC, which was established in 2002 without the membership of the U.S. The George W. Bush administration 

 just weeks before it took effect, explaining the decision in similar terms to those used in Trump's order Thursday: U.S. officials were concerned at the prospect of a body outside the country's borders having any form of jurisdiction over its citizens.

, including staunch U.S. allies the United Kingdom, France and Canada.

Yet even for this fractious relationship, an ICC decision 

 represented "a kind of crossing of the Rubicon," Indiana University associate professor David Bosco told NPR 

That's because the investigation authorized by the ICC, the world's only standing war crimes tribunal, may result in indictments against U.S. troops. 

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who pushed for the probe, has said the investigation will focus on alleged crimes by not only the Taliban and other armed groups, but also Afghan forces, U.S. forces and the CIA.

At a joint news conference Thursday with several senior Cabinet officials, including Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the court is "ineffective, unaccountable and is a politically motivated bureaucracy."

Speaking about the Afghanistan probe, he said, "To make matters worse ... we have every reason to believe our adversaries are manipulating the ICC by encouraging these allegations. These tactics represent a blatant attempt to subvert justice and the mission of the ICC."

Barr, without presenting evidence, also accused Russia and other unnamed foreign powers of "manipulating the ICC in pursuit of their own agenda."

The move Thursday is consistent with an administration that has repeatedly opposed U.S. participation in a number of international pacts and organizations. Administration officials have withdrawn from the United Nations' 

, and more recently they announced intentions of 

The ICC did not immediately respond publicly. Answering NPR's request for comment, a spokesperson for the court said its officials are "aware" of the order and "will issue a reaction after examination of its content."

Human rights groups, though, have decried the decision.

"The US assault on the ICC is an effort to block victims whether in Afghanistan, Israel or Palestine from seeing justice," 

, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch. "Countries that support international justice should oppose this attempt at obstruction."

NPR's Michele Kelemen contributed to this report

Politics and Government News

Colin Dwyer

Author

The ICC recently announced it was looking into war crimes allegations against the U.S. in Afghanistan. Now, the Trump administration is pushing back with an executive order targeting ICC staff.

Trump greenlights sanctions against International Criminal Court investigators

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