Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told the International Criminal Court that the Justice Department “unequivocally rejects” any assertion of jurisdiction over U.S. citizens.

In a June 29 letter, Blanche warned that Washington will refuse to cooperate with the tribunal’s investigations and will not extradite Americans under its warrants.

The Justice Department made the letter public Thursday, escalating the Trump administration’s confrontation with the Hague-based court and signaling it will not recognize the court’s authority over Americans.

In the letter to President Judge Tomoko Akane, Blanche wrote that the court “has acted in an increasingly lawless and illegitimate manner,” repeatedly asserting jurisdiction over countries that have not consented to its authority and failing to defer to national courts before pursuing investigations, which he said were “driven as much by political pressure and institutional self-interest as by legal merit.”

He said the court’s record raises “serious doubts about the ICC’s impartiality, credibility, and legitimacy.”

Blanche cited the 2002 American Servicemembers’ Protection Act, which rejects the court’s jurisdiction over Americans and authorizes the president to use all means necessary and appropriate to secure the release of any American detained under a court warrant or request.

That authority, Blanche wrote, “will be taken seriously and, if required, fully exercised to protect our people.”

The statute covers service members, government officials, and civilians alike.

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