Mr. Bolton’s comments drew swift criticism from Amnesty International, which tweeted: “John Bolton & the Trump Administration’s attack on the International Criminal Court (#ICC) is an attack on millions of victims and survivors who have experienced the most serious crimes under international law.”

Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s human rights program, said the prospect of Washington levying individual sanctions on the international court’s judges, is something “straight out of an authoritarian playbook.”

“The unprecedented threat comes as U.S. officials face, for the first time, the specter of full criminal investigation by the court for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, which is an ICC member,” Mr. Dakwar said in a statement. A favorite of Washington’s conservative establishment for his hawkish stance on thorny global issues, Mr. Bolton offered a robust and expansive defense of American sovereignty during an appearance at the Federalist Society, a conservative legal advocacy group. BOLTON SAYS NO TIMETABLE FOR TRUMP'S MIDEAST PEACE PLAN

"The International Criminal Court unacceptably threatens American sovereignty and U.S. national security interests," Bolton said, adding the U.S. "will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court." Additionally, Bolton — who is notorious for his hawkish foreign policy views — will also announce the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) offices in Washington due to the group's involvement with an ICC inquiry into alleged Israeli war crimes against civilians in Gaza. “The Palestinians’ resort to the ICC and refusal to negotiate with Israel and the United States is not the way to advance peace, and it is good that the United States is taking a clear stand on this matter,” said an Israeli official who requested anonymity. He said the court is a “supernational independent institution” that functions with unchecked powers to “infringe on American sovereignty.” The court, he said, is “ineffective, unaccountable and, indeed, outright dangerous.”

He zeroed in on an effort late last year by prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to start investigating whether U.S. troops and intelligence officials, in addition to U.S. allies, had committed any war crimes, including torturing detainees, during the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan. If such an inquiry goes ahead, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, put sanctions on any funds they have in the U.S. financial system and prosecute them in American courts, Bolton said. In a speech from the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., Bolton, on the eve of Sept. 11, denounced the court and said the U.S. would not cooperate with its inquiries. One threatened response: 'We will take note if any countries cooperate with ICC investigations of the United States and its allies, and we will remember that cooperation when setting U.S. foreign assistance, military assistance, and intelligence sharing levels,' he said. The court has been hobbled by the refusal of the U.S., Russia, China and other major nations to join, while Burundi and the Philippines have quit. 'We will let the ICC die on its own. For all its intents and purposes, [it] is already dead to us.”

During a press conference, Bolton said the ICC’s investigations threatened the sovereignty of the U.S. After a question from the audience, Bolton pushed back on the assertion that the U.S. had in fact threatened the autonomy of others. PALESTINIANS DECRY US DECISION TO CUT AID TO UN AGENCY, CALL IT A 'BIG MISTAKE'

Since its creation in 2002 to prosecute war crimes in areas where perpetrators might not otherwise face justice, the ICC has filed charges against dozens of suspects including former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, who was killed by rebels before he could be arrested, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has been charged with multiple crimes, including genocide in Darfur. Bolton was part of an effort during the George W Bush administration to formalise US resistance to the court, including through legislation prohibiting US support and efforts to pressure other countries into agreements not to surrender US citizens to the body.
National Security Advisor John R. Bolton threatens the International Criminal Court with sanctions should the organisation try to prosecute Americans for war crimes committed in Afganistan.