Senate Democrats block International Criminal Court sanctions bill in response to Netanyahu warrant
CNN
Senate Democrats on Tuesday voted to filibuster a GOP-led bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials.
Senate Democrats on Tuesday voted to filibuster a GOP-led bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials. The measure was designed to punish the ICC for issuing arrest warrants for top Israeli officials. The court issued those warrants last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and a senior Hamas official, accusing them of war crimes during and after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. The prime minister’s office has dismissed the warrants as “absurd and antisemitic.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune blasted the court’s action before the vote, saying to make a “moral equivalency” between the Israeli leaders and Hamas is “beyond the pale.” Democrats, recognizing Republicans would paint their votes against the bill as anti-Israel, wrestled for days about how to handle it. In the end, the only Democrat to vote for the measure was Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, meaning it fell far short of the 60 votes needed to advance. The final tally was 54-45.
A Massachusetts man was arrested on weapons charges after he visited the US Capitol on Monday and told police that he wanted to kill top Republicans, including billionaire investor Scott Bessent on the day the Senate confirmed him as President Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary, according to a Tuesday court filing.