The Pentagon has blocked the Biden Administration from sharing evidence of potential Russian war crimes with the International Criminal Court, according to officials with knowledge of the matter. The intel reportedly includes details of Russia’s intention to target civilian infrastructure and abduct Ukrainian children. Although Congress modified legal restrictions in December to allow the U.S. to assist Ukraine in court investigations, the behind-the-scenes tussle over whether to continue has the administration divided. Pentagon leaders reportedly don’t want to help with the tribunal’s investigation because it could lead to a precedent that would encourage them to prosecute Americans. However, the rest of the Biden administration is seemingly on board with sharing the intel with the court, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands. The National Security Council met last month to try and come to an agreement, but ultimately the dispute wasn’t resolved. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the rest of the government has signed on and is frustrated by the singular holdout. Pentagon leaders “have raised their concerns, and they are not illegitimate, but I think on balance what we did in the legislation is the way to go and I want them to honor what we did,” he said.
