by | Jun 2, 2024 | Aggregate
GovernmentZA/Flickr. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Naledi Pandor, 19 March 2024
South African officials have threatened the US and other Western nations with prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for supporting Israel against the designated terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah. South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Naledi Pandor, made this declaration during a talk about the situation in Rafah, standing in front of a Palestinian flag. It is unusual for a government official to stand in front of the flag of another entity, which is not a recognized country while giving an address. This act alone dispels any pretense of neutrality.
The ICC threat from South Africa is nearly laughable, given that the ICC already has an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. However, South Africa not only continues to maintain close ties with Russia as a BRICS partner but has also sidestepped international sanctions by holding joint military exercises with the heavily sanctioned Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Signatories to the Rome Statute obligate themselves to enforce ICC arrest warrants. Evidence of South Africa’s lack of commitment to the ICC is that in 2017, South Africa was censured by the ICC for failing to enforce an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted on multiple counts of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. Recently, Pretoria asked the ICC to exempt it from arresting Putin to avoid a war. The country even tried to withdraw from the ICC last spring but is suddenly all-in on deploying the ICC against the United States.
The US is not a signatory to the ICC, and the warrant would hold no validity in the US. Additionally, the American Service-Members’ Protection Act (ASPA) protects US and allied military personnel from the ICC’s jurisdiction. Since Israel is an ally, this protection can extend to diplomatic efforts on its behalf. Furthermore, any country that enforced such a warrant against the US would be guilty of illegal detention and could face severe diplomatic repercussions or potentially trigger a rescue operation, leading to significant casualties in the country detaining high-ranking US officials.
The ICC admitted “the state of Palestine” as a special signatory, which seems impossible because the State of Palestine does not exist. This makes the ICC one of the few international organizations that allows theoretical entities to join. This symbolic move is crucial because, for the ICC to have jurisdiction, either the country accused of a violation or the country where the violation took place must be signatories. Since Israel is not a signatory, the only way the ICC can claim jurisdiction is through the inclusion of the theoretical Palestinian State.
The Palestinian State’s membership status in the ICC is questionable at best and is referred to as a “non-state party observer,” which seems like a contradiction of terms. In January 2015, Palestine acceded to the Rome Statute and became a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). This status allows Palestine to participate in ICC proceedings and have a say in the court’s operations, despite the contentious nature of its statehood. The ICC’s inclusion of Palestine is one of the many reasons why the US does not support the ICC.
Section 410 of the US Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995, “Prohibits U.S. contributions to any affiliated organization of the United Nations or to the United Nations if they grant full membership as a state to a group that does not have internationally recognized attributes of statehood.” This act should be extended to non-UN organizations. Although the ICC did not officially recognize the Palestinian State, the fact that they admitted this entity suggests recognition. As such, Washington should ensure that the ICC receives no funding.
Washington’s rejection of the ICC is so complete that, under Donald Trump, the United States sanctioned the ICC, designating two of its prosecutors. President Biden later revoked these sanctions, but has not signed the Rome Statute, and the US remains outside of the ICC’s jurisdiction.
South Africa’s calls for warrants against the US are completely meaningless, serving only as a symbolic gesture that signals South Africa’s alignment with the China-Russia-Iran camp. To issue such warrants, the UN Security Council would have to agree, which is highly unlikely. Putin and Xi supporting that investigation would be one of the most comedic foreign policy decisions in history, rivaled only by the UN’s decision to put Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Libya on the Human Rights Council.
Washington’s response to South Africa’s call for ICC warrants should be to impose sanctions on South Africa for holding joint military exercises with Russia. The US should also launch an investigation to determine if any financial transactions between South Africa and Russia qualify for secondary sanctions. Additionally, the US should cut the $6 billion in aid it gives to South Africa and divert the money to Israel or use it to secure the southern border.
The post South Africa’s Ironic ICC Threat to the US appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jun 2, 2024 | Aggregate
(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Attorney General Merrick Garland has reportedly “classified at the highest level” the audio tapes of Joe Biden’s embarrassing interview with Special Counsel Hur. The tapes have been locked away in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), according to investigative journalist Paul Sperry.
Earlier this year, Washington Post reporter Matt Viser revealed that Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded that Joe Biden recklessly mishandled sensitive materials discovered at his home and former office.
Disturbingly, the investigation also uncovered that Biden shared government secrets with his ghostwriter, further underscoring his blatant disregard for national security.
Adding to this damning report, it was revealed that during interviews with the Special Counsel, Biden struggled to answer even basic questions, such as when he served as Vice President or the year his son Beau passed away from brain cancer.
However, the DOJ opted not to bring charges against Biden, citing concerns that a jury would deem him too mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The damning report reads, in part:
In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse. He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (“if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?”), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (“in 2009, am I still Vice President?”). He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.
And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him. Among other things, he mistakenly said he “had a real difference” of opinion with General Karl Eikenberry when, in fact, Eikenberry was an ally whom Mr. Biden cited approvingly in his Thanksgiving memo to Barack Obama.
We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.
It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”
The White House confronted a critical decision about releasing the interview transcript. Biden’s legal team contended that Hur’s references to Biden’s memory issues during the interview were misleading and unfairly prejudicial.
Joe Biden attacked Robert Hur during an impromptu presser after the report was released.
“There is even a reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that?” Biden previously told reporters in an impromptu White House press conference. “Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, it wasn’t any of their damn business.”
In March, Republicans planned to hold U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for the Justice Department’s refusal to release the audio recordings of Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur.
“The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees issued lawful subpoenas to Attorney General Garland for the audio recordings of President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Hur, yet he continues to defy our subpoenas,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer said in a statement. “These audio recordings are important to our investigation of President Biden’s willful retention of classified documents and his fitness to be President of the United States.”
But White House counsel Ed Siskel lashed out at the House GOP in an angry letter, accusing them of only wanting the recordings “to chop them up” and use them for political reasons.
“The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal — to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes,” Ed Siskel wrote.
He added, “Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.”
The Gateway Pundit reported on Saturday that a new revelation revealed that the White House admitted to altering the transcript of Joe Biden’s testimony to the Special Counsel to make him appear less incompetent.
This not-so-shocking admission comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the Heritage Foundation and Judicial Watch against the US Department of Justice, demanding the release of the original recording of Biden’s testimony.
Biden has personally invoked Executive Privilege against The Heritage Foundation and Judicial Watch in an attempt to keep his controversial interview with Special Counsel Hur under wraps.
“Biden Justice Dept cleaned up transcript of Biden’s interview w/ Special Counsel Hur to remove his stuttering, pauses & other indications he lost his train of thought. Judicial Watch chief Tom Fitton: “The transcript is not accurate & was changed in a way to help Biden,” Paul Sperry wrote.
BREAKING: Biden Justice Dept cleaned up transcript of Biden’s interview w/ Special Counsel Hur to remove his stuttering, pauses & other indications he lost his train of thought. Judicial Watch chief Tom Fitton: “The transcript is not accurate & was changed in a way to help Biden”
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) June 2, 2024
“The WH doctored the Biden transcript with Special Counsel Hur about his classified docs!!! They just convicted Trump for fake crimes. Does everyone see what is happening??!!! We control the HOUSE. We have to act. No more pathetic excuses,” Rep. Marjorie Greene wrote on X.
The WH doctored the Biden transcript with Special Counsel Hur about his classified docs!!!
They just convicted Trump for fake crimes.
Does everyone see what is happening??!!!
We control the HOUSE.
We have to act.
No more pathetic excuses. https://t.co/SR2yUmbIMY
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) June 1, 2024
Now, Attorney General Merrick Garland has reportedly classified audio recordings of Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Hur as top secret. The tapes, which allegedly capture a series of embarrassingly incoherent remarks by Joe Biden during a two-day interrogation, have been secured in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), typically reserved for the nation’s most closely guarded secrets, according to conservative investigative journalist Paul Sperry.
“Attorney General Merrick Garland has classified at the highest level the audio tapes of Biden’s embarrassingly incoherent interview with Special Counsel Hur over two days, and has locked the tapes away in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF,” Sperry wrote.
BREAKING: Attorney General Merrick Garland has classified at the highest level the audio tapes of Biden’s embarrassingly incoherent interview with Special Counsel Hur over two days, and has locked the tapes away in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) June 2, 2024
The post AG Merrick Garland Classifies Embarrassing Audio Recordings of Joe Biden’s Interview with Special Counsel Hur as ‘TOP SECRET’ and Locks Away in High-Security Facility: Report appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jun 2, 2024 | Aggregate
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, President Trump attended UFC 302 and was greeted with thunderous applause as he walked into the arena next to President of the UFC Dana White.
Trump was not only applauded by the fans but also received respect from several of the UFC stars on the fight card.
After winning his fight against Paulo Costa via decision, former UFC champion Sean Strickland said he plans to donate to Trump in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
Strickland stated, “President Trump, you’re the man. It is a d*mn travesty what they are doing to you.”
“I’ll be donating to you, my man,” added Strickland.
WATCH:
BREAKING: Former UFC champion Sean Strickland shouts out Trump in his post-fight victory speech.
“President Trump, you’re the man… It is a d*mn travesty what they are doing to you. I’ll be donating to you, my man.” pic.twitter.com/M8YQ3jpyTX
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) June 2, 2024
Strickland also took a selfie with Trump following the fight.
LOOK:
The Sean Strickland Trump selfie goes CRAZY pic.twitter.com/muYvJ2cFFE
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) June 2, 2024
Strickland wasn’t the only fighter to talk to Trump after the fight, Kevin Holland after defeating Michal Oleksiejczuk, jumped over the cage to shake hands with Trump.
WATCH:
UFC fighter Kevin Holland instantly runs to Trump after being declared the winner pic.twitter.com/AgtSTUSdfm
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 2, 2024
The post UFC Star Sean Strickland Gives Trump Shout Out Following Big Win, Tells President Trump, “You’re the Man” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jun 2, 2024 | Aggregate
Credit: @SCMountainGoat
Sad footage has emerged showing how people without homes live in Kamala Harris’s hometown thanks in part to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s catastrophic policies.
As the Daily Mail reported Sunday, Michael Oxford, the host of CaliBased, posted a sobering video on Friday showing massive wooden temporary houses built by homeless individuals in Oakland.
The homes are built alongside service roads that open up into main roads in Hooverville, Oakland, forming a massive “shantytown.” Huge amounts of garbage can be seen around the homes in Oxford’s video.
Oxford opens the video by welcoming viewers to “Oakland’s Hooverville.” He notes how his mind is blown by the “shantytown” he sees.
“They (homeless people) built houses…Look at all of this, this is absolutely mindboggling,” Oxford says. “It’s insane they (city officials) allow this.”
“It’s Hooverville.”
WATCH:
Parts of Oakland are worse than a third world country.
They just allow people to live in absolute squalor, wherever they choose.
This looks like Hooverville during the great depression.
Welcome to Oakland’s very own Gavinville. pic.twitter.com/L58uK2E6Sh
— Michael Oxford – AKA The Santa Cruz Mountain Goat (@SCMountainGoat) June 1, 2024
Oxford captioned his video by writing that parts of Oakland “are worse than a third-world country” and deeming the area Gavinville.
“Parts of Oakland are worse than a third-world country,” Oxford wrote. “They just allow people to live in absolute squalor wherever they choose.”
“This looks like Hooverville during the Great Depression,” he concluded. “Welcome to Oakland’s very own Gavinville.”
The Gateway Pundit has reported several negative incidents involving Oakland. Just two weeks ago, for example, Oakland city officials decided to take down a traffic light at a busy intersection after homeless people repeatedly stole copper wire from an electrical box that supplied power to the lights.
There has also been a massive surge of beatdowns caught on camera and even boat thefts.
But perhaps the most perfect example of Oakland’s lawlessness was when famous conservative activist Benny Johnson got robbed in broad daylight at an In-N-Out while shooting a video on the restaurant’s closure. This would have been a Babylon Bee headline just a few years ago.
Democrats, however, have managed to make satire a chilling reality.
The post Gavinvilles: Homeless People Build Massive Wooden “Shantytown” in Democrat-Run Oakland, California (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jun 2, 2024 | Aggregate
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Fox News Sunday
House Speaker Mike Johnson joined Fox Sunday to discuss House Republicans’ plans to investigate Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Special Counsel Jack Smith for targeting political opponents.
It sounds like just more words from Speaker Johnson. We want to see action!
Shannon Bream: Now, I want to ask you about the verdict. Clearly, you think it’s a travesty, as many people do. And I think having watched the trial, there are many grounds, fertile territory for the Trump team to use on appeal, but that’s going to take time. In the meantime, there are a number of Republicans out there saying, You guys need to turn around and do this same thing. John, you’re writing this. Republicans have to bring charges against Democratic officers, even presidents. Only retaliation in kind can produce the deterrence necessary to enforce a political version of mutual assured destruction. The other side, Peggy Newton, writing about how high the temperature is, says this, We have to ease up. We have to stop enjoying our hate so much. We can’t go on indefinitely like this. Are you worried that Republicans will be perceived as doing the very thing you’re accusing Democrats of, of using the legal system for political purposes? If you follow John Hughes’ advice.
Speaker Johnson: Here’s what I believe, Shannon. Listen, we are the rule of law party. Chaos is not a conservative value, and we have to fight back, and we will, with everything in our arsenal. But we do that within the confines of the rule of law. We believe in our institutions. We are Conservatives, and we are trying to conserve the greatest country in the history of the world, and its institutions are an important part of that. Our system of justice is an important part of that.
So what we’ll do with our tools that we have in Congress, in the House, is we’ll use our oversight responsibility. We’ve already done that. You saw our Judiciary Chairman, Jim Jordan, issue requests for Alvin Bragg, the DA in Manhattan, and for the lead prosecutor, Colangelo, to show up for a hearing on June 13th in our Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government because that’s what they’ve done.
And the purpose of the hearing is to investigate what these prosecutors are doing at the state and federal level to use politics, political retribution in the court system to go after political opponents of federal officials like Donald Trump.
That’s a really important thing for us to delve into.
And we’re going to look at special counsel Jack Smith, who we believe is abusing his authority as well. We have the funding streams, we have mechanisms to try to get control of that. We’ll be doing that within the confines of our jurisdiction. I think that can have the desired effect and show the American people we’re not going to tolerate this.
Shannon, at the end of the day, people are losing their faith in our system of justice itself, and that’s a serious threat.
Shannon Bream: Okay, we’re almost out of time, but I want to quickly ask you about something that may need clarification. You said on Friday, you think the Supreme Court should step in. You said, I think that the justice is on the court. I know many of them personally. I think they’re deeply concerned. Now, one of your critics out there, somebody who covers the court with me, part of the Supreme Court press corps, Mark Joseph Stern, wrote this. He It’s fascinating to hear the GOP speaker of the House admit to having private conversations with multiple justices who express concern to him about Trump’s conviction. I’m sure those justices were recused from any eventual appeal to avoid sitting on a case they’ve prejudged. I didn’t take your comments to mean that specific conversation, but I want to give you a chance to clarify.
Speaker Johnson: No, thank you. Of course, I haven’t had conversations with the justices. I just know their character, their personality. I know what they’ve said in the past. They are deeply concerned, as we are, about maintaining our system of justice.
If you walk into the Supreme Court building, Shannon, you and I know chiseled on the marble above the front door is equal justice under law. They are concerned about maintaining that idea. We all are because it’s a necessary ingredient to keep a Constitutional Republic.
That’s what I was referring to. I think they’re concerned about using courtrooms for politics and political retribution. We all are. We all should be. Every American. That’s what I was referring to. I think in their heart of hearts, they’re concerned about it just like we are.
Watch:
House Republicans are investigating Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Special Counsel Jack Smith for targeting political opponents.
The American people deserve answers, and we will not tolerate this two-tiered system of justice. pic.twitter.com/gHe5CgtsDT
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) June 2, 2024
You can watch the full interview below:
Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
The post Just Words… Speaker Johnson: “House Republicans Are Investigating Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Special Counsel Jack Smith for Targeting Political Opponents” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
