Duterte welcomes US official’s attack on ICC; It’s “timely, quite refreshing,” he says

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, Sept. 20, said a US official’s attack on the International Criminal Court was “quite refreshing.”

Duterte, who himself criticized the body, was referring to the pronouncements of  US National Security Adviser John Bolton, who declared the ICC “dead to America and “illegitimate,” and described it as “ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed outright dangerous.”

Bolton made the statements as the ICC was preparing to probe what it said was detainee abuse in Afghanistan, a move Bolton called “utterly unfounded.”

He added the US would not cooperate.

“Lalo na ako ang pinakamaingay noon. Binastos ko sila, binabastos nila tayo,” Duterte said in his speech.

According to Duterte, “hindi naman ako nagyayabang (pero) tayo ‘yung una, hindi lang ako pumayag, binulls**t ko sabi ko p…..i.. ninyo.”

“It’s good that there is international pressure sa ICC kasi binulls**it sila ni Bolton,” Duterte said.

Duterte earlier announced the country’s withdrawal from the ICC, noting what he said were its “baseless” accusations against him by UN officials related to the government’s war on drugs.