CAN OF WORMS

Top Court Risks Trump Fury by Greenlighting Investigation Into Alleged U.S. War Crimes

The ICC ruling will infuriate the Trump administration, which has repeatedly attacked the court’s chief prosecutor.

The Trump administration was dealt a major blow in the International Criminal Court Thursday when senior judges authorized an investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The ruling—which overturned a previous rejection of the inquiry—will infuriate the Trump administration, which has repeatedly attacked the court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, who has said that U.S. troops may have committed war crimes. Last year, the Trump administration revoked Bensouda’s U.S. visa citing “unjust investigation and prosecution.” On Thursday, the ICC’s appeals chamber said previous rejection of the inquiry was based on a misunderstanding of the court’s rules, and said that the investigation should go ahead. According to The Guardian, the chair of the appeals tribunal said: “The prosecutor is authorized to to commence investigation in relation to events dating back to 2003 as well as other alleged crimes [related to] Afghanistan.”