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Henry Burke, burke@therevolvingdoorproject.org
WASHINGTON - In response to recent events, Revolving Door Project Executive Director Jeff Hauser released the following statement:
"Over the last few days we have seen the billionaire class brought to heel by Donald Trump. Jeff Bezos has joined the likes of Mark Zuckerberg in preemptively acquiescing to Trump’s demands, while Elon Musk has become reliant on a Trump presidency to protect him from any legal consequences resulting from his close relationship to Vladimir Putin. Conversely, a former union leader and unabashed Prairie Populist has threatened a Nebraska Republican incumbent no one had believed in any peril by centering his opposition to monopolies, billionaire influence, and greedy corporations.
Despite the efforts of Tony West and Mark Cuban, it is clear that Silicon Valley's oligarch class are eager for a second Trump Administration. While Trump and corporate elites are increasingly united against Harris, the Harris campaign has continued its futile attempts to win over the support of corporate America. This strategy has not only failed to win back support of the billionaire class, but Harris continues to run well behind Middle America populists like Dan Osborn and Sherrod Brown. Her campaign must revisit the failed strategy of centering billionaire Mark Cuban as a corporate friendly spokesperson and seeking detente with Elon Musk.
The biggest question remaining in this election is whether Vice President Kamala Harris will call out the billionaire acquiescence to fascist threats. In the wake of a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden eerily reminiscent of a fascist event there 85 years ago, it seems more obvious than ever that VP Harris ought to strike a clear, unambiguously populist message. Osborn and Brown have shown that calling out moneyed influence and corporate power is a viable path, will Harris follow it?"
The Revolving Door Project (RDP) scrutinizes executive branch appointees to ensure they use their office to serve the broad public interest, rather than to entrench corporate power or seek personal advancement.
"It would be a terrible irony if a tool designed to penalize gross violators of human rights could instead contribute to their continued impunity."
Scores of advocacy groups on Monday published a joint open letter decrying proposed U.S. legislation targeting the International Criminal Court with sanctions in retaliation for the tribunal's recent issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court published the letter—which has been signed by over 80 groups as of Monday afternoon—stressing that "the ICC performs a vital role in international affairs by investigating the worst international crimes that shock the collective conscience of humanity and investigating those accused of committing those crimes."
"The positive role of the ICC has been recognized through previous bipartisan support."
"It does so in a manner that protects the due process rights of the accused, the sovereignty of states, including the United States, and the rights of victims," the letter asserts. "As has been widely observed, supporting the work of the court is in the interest of the United States, and sanctioning it, conversely, undermines important U.S. interests."
"The positive role of the ICC has been recognized through previous bipartisan support for investigations into war crimes allegedly perpetrated by Russian officials in the Ukraine conflict... attempts to bring justice for the victims of gross human rights violations in Myanmar, and as a pathway to accountability for perpetrators of atrocities in Sudan," the letter adds.
On Friday far-right Congressmen Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Brian Mast (R-Fla.) introduced H.R. 23, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, which would "impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies."
The bill, which was fast-tracked by the 119th House rules package, was initially approved last June by the Republican-controlled lower chamber with the support of 42 Democratic lawmakers. However, the measure failed to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate. Republicans now control both houses of Congress.
"As human rights, legal, and faith-based organizations, the foundations of civil society, as well as individuals who have dedicated their careers to these causes, we decry attempts to attack an independent judicial institution and urge the 119th Congress and incoming administration to reconsider this misguided position," the letter's signers asserted.
Signatories include the ACLU, Al Haq, Amnesty International USA, Center for Constitutional Rights, Democracy for the Arab World Now, Human Rights Watch, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action, Physicians for Human Rights, and Veterans for Peace.
In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.
Outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican President-elect Donald Trump have both condemned the ICC's effort to arrest Israeli leaders, although Biden has spoken out against H.R. 23.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), Trump's pick for national security adviser, is a vocal supporter of Israel's 15-month assault on Gaza, which has left more than 165,000 Palestinians dead, wounded, or missing. Waltz, who supports the sanctions bill, threatened a "strong response" to the tribunal's warrants.
The United States—which provides Israel with tens of billions of dollars in
armed aid and diplomatic cover—has reportedly worked with Israel to thwart the ICC's effort to arrest Israeli leaders.
Neither Israel or the U.S. are signatories to the
Rome Statute, the treaty underpinning the ICC. However, Palestine is a party to the treaty, and nonsignatories can be held liable for crimes committed there.
The U.S. has a decadeslong history of antagonism toward the ICC. Under the American Service Members' Protection Act—Bush administration-era legislation also known as the Hague Invasion Act—the president is authorized to use "all means necessary and appropriate" including military intervention to secure the release of American or allied personnel held by or on behalf of the ICC.
In 2019, Trump revoked the U.S. visa of then-ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for trying to investigate alleged war crimes committed by American forces in Afghanistan. The following year, the Trump administration sanctioned Bensouda and Phakiso Mochochoko, the court's prosecution jurisdiction division director at the time.
"At an historical moment when the global rule of law is under attack from multiple fronts, institutions like the International Criminal Court are needed more than ever to advance human rights protections and the universal goal of preventing future atrocities and advancing justice for victims," the new letter's signers argued.
"Instead, sanctions send a signal that could embolden authoritarian regimes and others with reason to fear accountability who seek to evade justice," the letter continues. "It is essential that the United States answer any allegation of wrongdoing in a manner that does not betray the cause of global justice, abandon international cooperation, or compromise support for human dignity and rights."
"It would be a terrible irony if a tool designed to penalize gross violators of human rights could instead contribute to their continued impunity," the letter concludes. "We urge other governments, members of Congress, and advocates for victims everywhere to raise their voices to oppose attacks on the independence and autonomy of international judicial institutions like the ICC. We invite allies of justice to join us in standing against these destructive measures."
The president faces calls to "end the abhorrent U.S. practice of indefinite detention without charge or trial at Guantánamo by transferring the remaining detainees who have never been charged with crimes."
Human rights advocates on Monday praised the Biden administration's transfer of 11 Yemeni men from the United States' Guantánamo Bay military prison in Cuba to Oman for resettlement—which left just 15 detainees at the facility that opened nearly 23 years ago, during the early days of the so-called War on Terror, and is notorious for torture.
"We welcome the transfer of these 11 men to Oman by the Biden administration, as it was long overdue," said Daphne Eviatar, director of the Security With Human Rights program at Amnesty International USA, in a statement. "The U.S. government now has an obligation to ensure that the government of Oman will respect and protect their human rights."
Since taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden has failed to deliver on his promise to shutter the prison—like former President Barack Obama, who had Biden as his vice president. Between the Democrats, Republican former President Donald Trump, who wants to keep the facility open, served a term; he is set to return to the White House in two weeks.
Eviatar said that "we commend President Biden for taking this step before he leaves office and urge him to finally end the abhorrent U.S. practice of indefinite detention without charge or trial at Guantánamo by transferring the remaining detainees who have never been charged with crimes. This would be a tremendous achievement of his presidency."
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)—which represents 51-year-old Sharqawi Al Hajj, one of the men flown to Oman—also welcomed the progress on Monday but called on the president to go even further while he remains in power.
"It is remarkable that the prison population at Guantánamo is down to 15 people," said CCR senior staff attorney Pardiss Kebriaei. "We urge the administration to press forward in transferring the remaining uncharged men, including Center for Constitutional Rights client Guleed Hassan Duran, allow resolution of the remaining charged cases through mutually acceptable pleas, and stand down in opposing habeas cases for anyone who is uncharged but will be left at Guantánamo."
Kebriaei represents Al Hajj, who "endured physical and psychological coercion" at Central Intelligence Agency sites before arriving at Guantánamo, where "he waged prolonged hunger strikes to protest his indefinite detention," and "attempted to hurt himself multiple times in moments of desperation," according to CCR. He was never charged with a crime.
"Our thoughts are with Mr. Al Hajj as he transitions to the free world after almost 23 years in captivity. His release is hopeful for him and for us," said Kebriaei. "We are grateful to Oman and to the individuals in the administration who made this transfer happen, and to the many people over the years whose work and advocacy paved the way for this moment."
The Pentagon said that the other 10 men are: Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah, Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani, Omar Mohammed Ali al-Rammah, Sanad Ali Yislam Al Kazimi, Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Attash, and Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah.
The Pentagon also noted in its Monday statement that of the 15 remaining detainees, "three are eligible for transfer; three are eligible for a periodic review board; seven are involved in the military commissions process; and two detainees have been convicted and sentenced by military commissions."
As NPRreported:
Monday's transfers were originally scheduled to happen in October 2023, but were halted at the last minute due to concerns in Congress about instability in the Middle East following the Hamas attack on Israel.
That the plan was resurrected during President Biden's final two weeks in office signals a last-ditch effort by his administration to shrink Guantánamo's prisoner population and get closer to his goal of trying to close the facility. In recent weeks, the U.S. has transferred four other Guantánamo inmates—a Kenyan, a Tunisian, and two Malaysians—and is preparing for the transfer of at least one more, an Iraqi.
The repatriation of the Tunisian man, 59-year-old Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi, last week came on the same day that a Pentagon appeals panel upheld plea deals for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who were imprisoned at Guantánamo after allegedly plotting the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and agreed to spend the rest of their lives in prison to avoid execution.
Despite the Biden administration's progress, global vigils planned for Saturday "will, of course, be proceeding as planned, because 15 men are still held," according to journalist and Close Guantánamo co-founder Andy Worthington.
"This coming week—which includes the 23rd anniversary of the prison's opening, on Saturday, January 11—is a crucial time for highlighting the need for urgent action from the Biden administration," Worthington said, "in the last few weeks before Donald Trump once more occupies the White House, bringing with him, no doubt, a profound antipathy towards any of the men still held, and a hunger for sealing the prison shut as he did during his first term in office."
"What an absolutely pathetic display of fragility and hate," said one observer.
Video of the husband of a Republican U.S. senator rebuffing Vice President Kamala Harris' attempted congratulatory handshake during the lawmaker's swearing-in ceremony went viral Monday, with observers calling the move "classless" and "exactly what is wrong with American culture right now."
Bruce Fischer, husband of third-term GOP Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, dodged Harris' outstretched hand during Friday's swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., offering a mere nod and curt "thank you" in return after his wife took the oath of office.
"It's OK, I won't bite... don't worry," Harris said in response to Mr. Fischer's apparent reluctance to even stand close to her.
Liberals—and some Republicans—dragged Fischer's departure from decorum, which came just weeks before Harris and President Joe Biden leave office and Republican President-elect Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, his vice president, take the reins.
"Bruce Fischer is exactly what is wrong with American culture right now," filmmaker Princella D. Smith said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "We have put civility on the shelf."
The group Republicans Against Trump also took to X, calling Fischer's move "truly classless."
Former longtime CNN host Don Lemon called Fischer a "racist piece of shit" in a video posted on TikTok.
Liberal social media personality Xander Xjork Anderson called Fischer a "classless asshole" adding, "Vice President Kamala Harris has more dignity and class than every MAGA Republican asshole combined."
"America really screwed up," Anderson added. "Enjoy Trump making America a laughingstock again."