On a November evening in Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood before a gathering of conservative lawyers and argued that America should answer to no tribunal beyond its own borders. The occasion carried the weight of a country still reckoning with its midterm defeat, and a man whose two great offices, national security adviser and chief diplomat, may be a stepping stone to something larger. Behind his words lies a long-running quarrel over whether a nation's sovereignty can coexist with the reach of international justice, a question older than the court he chose to rebuke.
Rubio Assails ICC in Federalist Society Speech, Signaling Hardline Foreign Policy Amid 2028 Speculation
"Stop quoting laws to men with swords."
Mark
Why does a speech to a legal group matter this much?
Mimi
Because of who gave it and when. It was Rubio's first prepared speech since the November 3 midterm rout, and the Federalist Society is a known stop for Republican hopefuls.
Mark
So is he running in 2028?
Luke
Nobody can say that from this. He has firmly denied reports of an imminent campaign. The speech heightens speculation, but speculation is all it is.
Mark
What did he actually say about the ICC?
Mimi
That Americans never agreed to its authority, and that the US won't submit to what he called radical judges and soulless bureaucrats. He also hinted at a forceful response if the court tried to enforce rulings against Americans.
Luke
Worth noting that it was a hint, quoting Pompey, not a stated policy. And his claim that the court would prosecute US officials is his assertion; the ICC says its Afghanistan inquiry into US soldiers is deprioritized.
Mark
And the sanctions?
Mimi
They take effect in April unless the court's supporters reach an agreement with Washington. Most members back the court, including all of the EU and all NATO members except the US and Turkey.
Luke
What we don't know is what any deal would look like, or whether talks are even underway. The reporting doesn't say.
Mark
The North Korea comparison seems odd.
Mimi
He used it to argue that Iran's clerics are expansionist while Kim is not, which is how he framed the urgency of the Iran war.
El Pulso
- Rubio told a conservative legal audience that the United States will not bow to the International Criminal Court, and the rebuke lands days after a bruising midterm loss.
- Sanctions aimed at choking the court's operations are scheduled to bite in April, leaving a narrow window for supporters to negotiate them away.
- Rubio brushes off accusations of lawlessness over the seizure of Nicolas Maduro and strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, framing them as lawful defense.
- Speculation about a 2028 presidential bid hangs over every word, while Rubio firmly denies any imminent campaign.
- The Iran war is cast as a fight to stop a nuclear weapon, and the outcome of the April sanctions talks remains open.
On a November evening in Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood before a gathering of conservative lawyers and argued that America should answer to no tribunal beyond its own borders. The occasion carried the weight of a country still reckoning with its midterm defeat, and a man whose two great offices, national security adviser and chief diplomat, may be a stepping stone to something larger. Behind his words lies a long-running quarrel over whether a nation's sovereignty can coexist with the reach of international justice, a question older than the court he chose to rebuke.
On Friday, November 13, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the Federalist Society in Washington and made a pointed case: the United States should not be bound by international law when it acts abroad. The International Criminal Court was his main target, and he did not soften his language.
It was his first set of prepared remarks since Republicans suffered heavy losses in the November 3 midterms, which has fueled talk that Rubio, who serves as both national security adviser and top diplomat, might leave those posts to run for president in 2028. He has firmly denied that a campaign is coming soon. The Federalist Society, a regular stop for Republican hopefuls, provided a receptive audience.
Rubio framed the speech as an intellectual defense of President Trump's "America First" approach. He said Americans would not submit to "radical judges or soulless global bureaucrats," repeating his claim that the court would try to prosecute U.S. officials or service members, the justification behind sanctions announced last month. He went further, hinting that Washington would respond with force if the court tried to enforce rulings against Americans, quoting Pompey: "Stop quoting laws to men with swords."
He also addressed the war against Iran, which he described as a effort to prevent a nuclear weapon, warning of Iran's "expansionist" clerics. He contrasted this with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, whom he called not expansionist. Rubio has waved away claims that the administration has broken international law, including the Maduro seizure and strikes on alleged drug boats.
The hostility toward the Netherlands-based court is long-standing. Founded in 2002, the ICC already faces U.S. sanctions on its officials, and Washington has objected to warrants involving Israeli leaders and an inquiry into American soldiers in Afghanistan. Nearly every NATO member and EU state still backs the court. The newest sanctions take effect in April unless supporters reach a deal with Washington, and Rubio's political future remains the other question people are watching.
On Friday, November 13, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood before the Federalist Society in Washington and made the case that the United States should not be bound by international law when it acts abroad. His target was the International Criminal Court, and his language was blunt.
The speech was his first set of prepared remarks since Republicans were routed in the midterm elections on November 3. That timing sharpens the speculation over whether Rubio, who is both national security adviser and the nation's top diplomat, will leave those posts to run for president in 2028. He has firmly denied reports that a campaign is coming soon. But the Federalist Society is an occasional stop for Republican hopefuls, and the audience was a conservative legal crowd.
Rubio has at times tried to supply an intellectual justification for President Donald Trump's "America First" foreign policy, and he did so again. The United States, he said, would not "submit to the sterile vision of radical judges or soulless global bureaucrats." He repeated his claim that the court would try to prosecute US officials or service members, the claim he used to justify sanctions against the ICC announced last month. "Americans have never agreed to submit to the ICC's authority," he said, adding that the court and its allies had appointed themselves "judge and jury and executioner of the international order."
He also suggested what might follow if the court tried to enforce its rulings against Americans. Washington would answer with force, Rubio indicated, quoting the Roman general Pompey: "Stop quoting laws to men with swords."
Rubio turned as well to the US-Israeli war against Iran. He said its goal was to keep Tehran from ever developing a nuclear weapon, and that the matter was especially urgent because Iran's "radical Shia clerics" had an "expansionist mentality." He contrasted that with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, whom Trump has met three times. "I'm not excusing the terrible things that have happened there," Rubio said, but Kim "is not expansionist. He's not trying to invade Japan or, you know, China or whatever."
Rubio has dismissed criticism that the administration has broken international law, including by seizing then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and by striking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific that Washington says were carrying drugs.
The administration's hostility to the Netherlands-based court is not new. Founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the ICC has already faced US sanctions on its prosecutors and judges. Washington has denounced it over arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and over an investigation into the actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan, which the court says is "deprioritized." Most member states back the court firmly, including every EU country and every NATO member except the United States and Turkey.
The newest sanctions are designed to stifle the court's ability to operate. They take effect in April unless the court's supporters can reach an agreement with the United States to head them off. That negotiation, and the continuing question of Rubio's own ambitions, are the two things to watch.
Citas Notables
Americans have never agreed to submit to the ICC's authority, but that court and its allies in the global bureaucracy have appointed themselves judge and jury and executioner of the international order.— Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Stop quoting laws to men with swords.— Marco Rubio, quoting the Roman general Pompey
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