Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman expressed his disappointment in the outcome of the International Criminal Court (ICC) sanctions bill, thwarted by his fellow senate Democrats on Tuesday.
Fetterman was the only Democrat to support the GOP’s Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, which failed to clear a procedural hurdle Tuesday. The Democratic senator expressed on X that he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and that his “vote follows Israel—not the ICC that equivocated the democratically elected leader of our special ally to the terrorists and rapists of Hamas.”
The act would have required Trump to impose sanctions on ICC members if they attempted to “investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute” U.S. citizens or citizens of U.S. allies that do not recognize the ICC’s authority, according to the bill.
Trump previously authorized sanctions on ICC officials in 202o, though former President Joe Biden reversed the order shortly after he was sworn into office.
The ICC put out an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for “crimes against humanity” in November, a move some have criticized as antisemitic.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged Democrats to pass the ICC sanction bill Tuesday morning, arguing that the “illegitimate targeting of a key U.S. ally should concern all of us,” according to Jewish Insider.
This has been the most unifying senate Democrat action against the GOP since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to Axios.
Fetterman became the first Democratic senator to meet with Trump in January, which has attracted backlash. The senator said he was “tired of the venom” in the American political arena after “The View” co-host Ana Navarro criticized his visit to Mar-a-Lago.
Featured Image Credit: Governor Tom Wolf