Rubio Warns ICC: ‘Stop Quoting Laws to Men With Swords’
Marco Rubio criticizes ICC’s authority over U.S. citizens, drawing on ancient Roman history.
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Marco Rubio delivered a pointed critique of the International Criminal Court (ICC), invoking a Roman general to underscore the court’s lack of authority over American citizens. During a keynote speech at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, the secretary of state warned that the ICC’s rulings carry no force over the U.S., echoing the response of the Roman commander Pompey to those who cited their city’s charters against his legions. “Stop quoting laws to men with swords,” Rubio said, a line that drew laughter and prompted him to joke that the words were not politically correct.
FULL REMARKS: Secretary of State Marco Rubio Delivers Keynote Address, Answers Questions at Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention https://t.co/I9Zbat5ZVY
Rubio accused the ICC and its global-bureaucracy allies of acting as “judge and jury and executioner of the international order” while answering to no one. He argued that the tribunal now claims the power to investigate, prosecute, and jail Americans under rules the country never approved. The secretary also cast international law itself as a weapon of a global elite, suggesting critics have used it against nearly every major foreign policy decision of the Trump administration.
He pointed to the U.S. military’s strikes on cartel boats in the Caribbean and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as examples of such objections. Rubio also turned his scorn on the United Nations, calling out its role in the global power dynamic. The speech marked Rubio’s first major address at home since Republicans suffered heavy losses in this month’s midterm elections, and the crowd responded with a standing ovation.
Rubio’s appearance followed the sweeping sanctions the administration placed on the ICC in October as part of a campaign to dismantle the tribunal. Washington signed the treaty that created the ICC but never ratified it, leaving the United States outside the court alongside Israel, Russia, and China. Enforcement is where the court runs thin, as it fields no police force and relies on member nations to arrest anyone it indicts. The United States is not one of them.
In closing, Rubio tied the fight to national identity, stating, “To submit to the sterile vision of radical judges or soulless global bureaucrats would be to betray who we are, to betray ourselves.” His remarks have fueled new speculation about a potential 2028 presidential bid, with some analysts noting the significance of his legal audience in shaping such ambitions.
Source: Daily Caller
