The President's Daily Brief - November 29th, 2024: Iran Leverages ICC Ruling on Israel & Crypto CEO Sued Over Hamas Terrorism Allegations

Episode Date: November 29, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, and Iran takes advantage of the situation to push its own agenda. Victims of the October 7 Hamas attack file a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit in California against a major cryptocurrency CEO, accusing the platform of financing terrorism. The Biden administration urges Ukraine to bolster its military by drafting more troops and lowering the conscription age to 18. And in today’s Back of the Brief: Three Americans detained in China for years are released in a prisoner swap with Beijing. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Blackout Coffee: https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Now, Blackout Coffee, as you probably know, is a terrific American family-owned business, and they are all about premium coffee. It's fresh roasted and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to Blackout Coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first-time purchase. It's Friday, 29 November. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. your eyes and ears on the world stage.

All right. Let's get briefed. Today, we'll start things off with the latest on the international criminal court's decision to issue arrest warrants against top Israeli officials and how Iran is seizing that moment to advance its own agenda. Later in the show, victims of the October 7th Hamas attacks filed a multi-billion dollar lawsuit in California against a major cryptocurrency CEO accusing the platform of funding Hamas terrorism. Plus, the Biden administration is pressing Ukraine to expand its military by drafting more troops

and lowering the conscription age to 18. And in today's back of the brief, three Americans detained in China for years now are free after a prisoner swap between Washington and Beijing. But first, today's PDB spotlight. I want to begin with Iran in how Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomey's regime is attempting to use the International Criminal Court, the ICC, to isolate Israel on the global stage. Now, as you're likely aware, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yov-Galant on November 21st for alleged war crimes. crimes related to the conflict in Gaza. Earlier this week, Chominee reacted to the court's ruling, demanding even more extreme measures. Oh, well, thank you for those demands. I mean, considering that Chominee and his minions in the IRGC claim that the destruction of Israel is

their primary objective, I can see him thinking that arrest warrants really aren't extreme enough. Harmonis said, quote, they issued an arrest warrant. That's not enough. Well, there you go. It's not enough. Death sentences must be issued for these criminal leaders, end quote. Seriously, get a load of this guy. He's this top state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and now he wants the ICC to help him do his dirty work. Despite the court stopping short of Grant Accomini's wish, senior officials in Tehran have hailed the ruling as the, quote, political death of Israel, saying that the warrants create a, quote, legal storm that will severely undermine Israel's standing in the global community and limit Netanyahu's ability to move freely around the world. While Iran's reaction should come, frankly, as little surprise,

hopefully nobody was surprised. It offers a glimpse into the regime's strategy to leverage international law against the Jewish state. Now, mind you, they were equally excited when U.S. activists and Gormless students in the U.S. were holding pro-Kamas and anti-Jewish protests on campuses earlier in the year. The ICC's ruling immediately divided European leaders, with several countries vowing to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot on their soil, and other European leaders appearing somewhat torn about just how to proceed. According to a recent report by the Jerusalem Post, this is, of course, exactly the outcome that Iran was hoping for. Now, while Iran is not a member of the ICC, and that's important to note, they are not a member of the ICC, observers say their hidden hand of influence can be seen in the

court's actions against Israel. And here's where it gets interesting, and people should probably pay attention. There's no smoking gun that proves a direct legal connection to the regime, but analysts say that this is because of Iran's shrewd use of proxies, particularly South Africa's government. Now, South Africa has been the driving force at the ICC targeting Israel, filing a genocide case against a Jewish state back in December of 2023. That's just two months after Hamas launched their barbaric 7 October attacks. Now, some enterprising investigative journalist should dig into just what the South African government got in exchange for their backroom shilling for the Iranian regime.

In late October of 2023, South Africa's foreign minister was on a diplomatic trip to Tehran in an effort to boost economic cooperation between the two countries. In remarks, during the visit, Iran's foreign minister called Israel an apartheid regime that was committing genocide in Gaza and drew parallels between the situation in Gaza and Nelson Mandela's decades-long fight against apartheid in South Africa. See, it's all starting to come together. At the time, South Africa's ruling, government was close to bankruptcy. But shortly, after filing their case against Israel in December,

look at this, their debts were mysteriously covered. Now wait, but I think there's a clue there for some enterprising investigative journalist. The Institute for the study of global anti-Semitism and policy saw possible evidence of collusion, really, telling the Jerusalem Post, quote, given the high costs of pursuing a case in the International Court of Justice in the Hague, not to mention the expenses of a prolonged trial, legitimate questions remain about how South Africa could finance such actions. This leads many to conclude that it received significant financial support from external sources, end quote. Oh, who could those external sources be? The ICC has long-faced criticism, of course, for acting with extreme bias towards Israel, while saying nothing about the Iranian

regime's longstanding human rights abuses. But the court's global status, standing, well, frankly, in the near term, could be diminished with the return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. During his first term, Trump got into a, let's call it a spat. How often do you hear that word used, with the ICC after the court's prosecutor announced plans to launch an investigation of alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. Now, the U.S. revoked the prosecutor's visa and said they would use force against the court if they attempted to detain and American citizens. While the Biden administration condemned the court's latest decision to issue warrants, they took a softer approach with the ICC than the Trump administration,

opting not to apply diplomatic pressure directly on the court in defense of Israel. Like Israel, the U.S. is not a member of the ICC, but the court's influence would likely diminish among America's allies if the new administration starts applying pressure through sanctions. According to reports in Israeli media, the incoming Trump administration plans to do just that. While the Trump transition team has not issued an official statement on the ICC warrants, Mike Waltz, Trump's nominee for National Security Advisor, recently said on X, quote, the ICC has no credibility, and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government.

You can expect a strong response to the anti-Semetic bias of the ICC and UN come January. end quote. All right. Coming up next, victims of the October 7th Hamas attacks sue a major cryptocurrency CEO for allegedly funding terrorism. And the Biden administration urges Ukraine to expand its draft and lower the conscription age to 18. I'll have those stories when we come back. Spring break isn't what it used to be. It's better. This spring, stay three nights and get a $50 best Western gift card. trip. Make the most of it at Best Western. Visit bestwestern.com for complete terms and conditions. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story.

Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Welcome back to the BDB. Sticking with the Middle East, the families and victims of Hamas's brutal 7 October terrorist attack on Israel have filed a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the former CEO of a top cryptocurrency exchange that they allege facilitated Hamas terrorism. The lawsuit filed in California's Superior Court on Tuesday targets billionaire Binance co-founder Jin Bang Zao, who the victim said, quote, intentionally or negligently provided, extensive cryptocurrency services to Hamas, end quote, that's according to a report from the Jerusalem

Post. The lawsuit involves more than 100 plaintiffs, including both American and Israeli citizens, affected by Hamas's barbaric rampage on 7 October, during which militants killed nearly 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages. The victims claim that Zau violated international sanctions and U.S. laws, prohibiting financial support for terrorism by turning a blind eye to Hamas's use of the platform in pursuit of greater profits. By using Binance, Khamas terrorists were able to bypass traditional financial systems and gain access to funds that would prove critical to financing their attack. According to the legal filing, they're seeking damages for wrongful death, injuries, physical and mental harm, loss of future income, and medical treatment.

The victims are also pursuing punitive damages to deter similar conduct by cryptocurrency platforms in the future. Now, Zau is no stranger to legal troubles. Binance has faced serious scrutiny over the past year for turning a blind-eyed, countless criminal enterprises, leveraging the platform to move their illicit funds, including terrorists, child traffickers, and drug cartels. He resigned from Binance in November of 2023 and paid a $50 million, or fine, after pleading guilty to breaking U.S. laws, intended to thwart money laundering. Some of the examples cited included schemes by Hamas' al-Kasam brigades, al-Qaeda, and Iran.

Then, in April 2024, he was sentenced in Seattle to four months in federal prison over those charges. Really? That's what you get, four months, though prosecutors had sought a three-year sentence. The case against Zhao is just the latest legal action taken by victims of the 7 October massacre. Back in July, more than 100 victims sued Iran, Syria, and North Korea for sponsoring terrorism, demanding $4 billion in damages. But it's the first case by the victims to target individual financial enablers of terrorism. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said, quote, this case goes beyond past efforts. It targets an international business figure whose wealth is estimated at tens of billions of dollars.

And the lawsuit isn't just on behalf of American victims. but also on behalf of Israelis without American connections, end quote. A legal advisor for the plaintiffs encouraged other victims to join the lawsuit in order to send a clear message that anyone financially aiding terrorists, whether knowingly or unknowingly, will face severe repercussions. Okay, shifting to Ukraine, the Biden administration is pressuring Kiv to address a critical troop shortage by drafting younger soldiers. a move that could reshape the nation's war effort against Russia. Kiev is being urged to lower its conscription age from 25 to 18 and ramp up mobilization efforts to replenish its ranks.

A senior administration official warned Wednesday that Ukraine needs far more than the 160,000 additional troops it estimates are necessary, emphasizing, quote, the pure math of the situation. It's important to note that over one million Ukrainians, including members of the National Guard and other units, are now in uniform, but still remain outnumbered in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia. Western allies share these concerns, with European officials warning that Ukraine's manpower issues rather than weaponry issues could jeopardize its grip on contested regions like Russia's Kursk border. As we reported this

week, Ukraine has lost over 40 percent of the territory it claimed in the region during its August offensive, with relentless Russian counter-assaults and the arrival of, of course, thousands of North Korean troops aiding Moscow's efforts to recapture lost territory. Keith's Parliament lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 in April, adding roughly 50,000 troops through measures like an online registry. However, these steps fall far short of what's required to match Russia's expanding and increasingly well-supported forces. The call to lower the draft age further to 18 has, no surprise, sparked domestic backlash, with critics warning that drawing more young workers into the military could deepen Ukraine's economic woes.

Well, they're not wrong. The Biden administration has also pressed Keev to tackle issues like desertion and absenteeism to further optimize its enlisted forces. This urgency comes as President Biden makes a final push for Congress to approve $24 billion more in additional aid to Ukraine before his term ends. Now, while numbers vary somewhat, depending on who you talk to and the way that you categorize assistance, essentially from fiscal year 2022 through fiscal year 2024, the U.S. has appropriated some 183 billion U.S. dollars in aid for Ukraine. Of that total amount, the vast majority, some $125 billion, is Department of Defense

funding, meaning military support, with the rest divided between State Department and USAID and other agencies handling humanitarian and other services and support. And as an aside, a very significant portion of the money in the appropriation bills for Ukraine is actually spent in the U.S., paying U.S. companies and workers to produce the munitions and weapons systems that support the Ukrainian military or are used to replenish stocks that are sent to Ukraine. According to Politico, the Biden administration's latest proposed aid package includes $8 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, $16 billion to replenish U.S. weapon stockpiles, and $4.7 billion in debt forgiveness for Keeve. Now, that's a provision drawing sharp criticism from Republican fiscal conservatives.

On Wednesday, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah posted his frustrations on X, stating, quote, Joe Biden just gave away $4.7 billion in your taxpayer dollars by unilaterally for giving loans to Ukraine. Congress must not give him a free gift to further sabotage President Trump's peace negotiations on the way out the door, end quote. security advisor, Jake Sullivan, appearing on CBS's Face the Nation, defended the aid, stating, quote, and listen to the quote, the threat to Ukraine will remain no matter what exactly happens on the battlefield or at the negotiating table, end quote. What? What? Okay, so that quote, frankly, makes no sense. The Dugie Hauser of security advisors is saying that no matter what happens

on the battlefield or in negotiations, no matter what, the threat remains. Huh? That's the sort of babble that comes out of government on a regular basis. Conservatives, okay, not without reason, see his rhetoric as part of a pattern of unaccountable spending with no clear strategy for resolution. The White House Office of Management and Budget is considering folding the aid into broader legislation to avert a 20 December government shutdown. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he intends to pursue a swift end of the conflict, questioning the wisdom of continued U.S. involvement and aid to Ukraine. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, some good news to end the week.

See, it's not all bad news. China has released three Americans that the White House says were wrongfully detained. I'll have those details when we come back. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save. Save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply.

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at getting it. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. In today's back of the brief, three Americans wrongfully detained in China for years have been freed finally in a high-stakes prisoner swap brokered by the Biden administration. According to the State Department, the freed Americans, Mark Sweden, Kai Li, and John Leon are now in U.S. custody and will soon reunite with their families after enduring years of imprisonment. On Wednesday, day, a National Security Council spokesperson hailed their release stating, quote, thanks to this administration's efforts and diplomacy with their People's Republic of China,

all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home, end quote. According to Politico, the Americans were freed in a swap involving unidentified Chinese nationals. Now, among the detainees, Mark Sweden's case was the most harrowing. According to the Texas Tribune, Sweden was detained in 2012 and sentenced to death in 2019, after Chinese authorities claimed to have found drugs with his driver and translator. However, a UN report found no evidence leaking Sweden to the drugs, and records showed he wasn't even in China at the time of the alleged offense. During his decade-long detention, Sweden endured what his mother described as, quote,

physical and psychological torture. Lee, detained in 2016, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges after traveling to Shanghai for a memorial service. His son became a vocal advocate for his release, emphasizing his father's years of isolation in Chinese detention. The State Department classified Lee and Sweden as both being wrongfully detained. Lyong, an American citizen with permanent residency in Hong Kong, was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to life imprisonment on espionage charges in 2023.

According to CNN, the release, comes just months after another American Pastor David Lin was freed in September following nearly two decades in Chinese detention. Lin's release was kept quiet to avoid derailing other negotiations. In light of the release, the U.S. lowered its travel advisory for mainland China to level two, urging travelers to exercise increased caution. Now, again, the U.S. prisoners were exchanged, reportedly for three Chinese prisoners being held in the U.S. And interestingly, the Chinese regime has not released the identities of the Chinese citizens involved in the exchange.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday, 29 November. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And, of course, to listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief, by visiting PDB Premium.com. It couldn't be any simpler. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back over the weekend with the PDB Situation Report. Until then, stay informed.

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