Among many other Trump-era policies and positions, President Joe Biden reversed sanctions on the International Criminal Court upon taking office. Once the ICC moved ahead with arrest warrants for Israeli leaders alongside Hamas terrorists, Biden called the ICC's case "outrageous."
"[W]hatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas," Biden said in a statement condemning the ICC for pursuing charges against Israel for its response to the October 7 terrorist massacre.
In response, Congress took up a bill that would reinstate sanctions on the ICC. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers that the administration would work with legislators on the penalties. Then, President Biden changed his mind and said he was "strongly opposed" to the sanctions. But why?
While Biden's opposition to the case against Israel (see here for more on why charges against Israel are farcical a violation of the ICC's founding treaty) was ignored, one instrumental advisor on the panel who spent four months reviewing evidence of the supposed "war crimes" and recommended charges didn't appreciate the heat coming from the White House and her husband got involved. This ICC advisor who worked on the case against Israel is Amal Clooney, wife of George Clooney.
Well, George took matters into his own hands and got in touch with the White House, Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti, specifically, upset that Biden would attack his wife's work. According to The New York Times:
George Clooney contacted a top White House official last month to complain after President Biden criticized the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek a warrant against top Israeli officials over the war in Gaza, a case the actor’s wife had worked on, according to two people familiar with the situation.
His wife, Amal Clooney, a prominent human rights lawyer, served on an advisory panel that helped conduct the court’s investigation, which resulted in warrant requests for Israel’s prime minister and defense minister and three senior Hamas leaders, accusing them of illegal conduct that has led to thousands of civilian deaths.
The Washington Post noted that Clooney "was also upset about the administration’s initial openness to imposing sanctions on the ICC because his wife might be subject to the penalties."
Complicating the situation: George Clooney, as an ally of Biden and donor, is supposed to take part in a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles on June 15. Despite Clooney's dissatisfaction with Biden's comment on the ICC, he still reportedly plans to appear at the glitzy event — and over the weekend was used in a campaign email endorsing Biden and soliciting donations for the president's re-election campaign.
The timeline here is interesting. Biden rightfully blasted the ICC for its farce of a case against Israeli officials, causing Clooney to call up the White House. Meanwhile, the Biden administration reversed course and abandoned support for sanctions on the ICC, and now Clooney is sending fundraising emails and attending events for Biden's campaign.