US Senator Calls for Sanctions Against Trump, Rubio Over ICC Pressure

US Senator Chris Van Hollen has called for sanctions to be imposed against President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio over what he characterized as pressure being applied to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The senator's remarks came after reporting by the Wall Street Journal indicated that the Trump administration is preparing sweeping sanctions targeting the ICC itself, a move that would mark an escalation in the US government's stance toward the international tribunal.

The ICC, based in The Hague, has periodically been a point of friction with US administrations over the court's jurisdiction and its investigations involving American citizens or allied countries. Previous US administrations have at various points imposed or threatened sanctions against ICC officials in response to specific investigations.

Van Hollen's call for sanctions against Trump and Rubio themselves represents a notable escalation in domestic political pushback against the administration's approach to the court, though it was not immediately clear what legislative or procedural mechanism the senator was proposing to pursue such measures.

Neither the White House nor the State Department had issued a public response to Van Hollen's remarks or confirmed the specifics of the reported sanctions plan against the ICC at the time of the report.