On Thursday (Jan. 7), Iraq issued an arrest warrant for President Donald Trump, according to CBS News.
Baghdad’s court is currently investigating the killing of one of their top Iraqi paramilitary commanders. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the deputy head of Iraq’s pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network, died in the same U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani last January.
“An arrest warrant against the outgoing President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has been issued in accordance with the provisions of Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code,” Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council confirmed in a statement. The investigation will also “identify others who participated in committing this crime, whether they are Iraqis or foreigners.”
Agnes Callamard, who handles extrajudicial executions for the United Nations, said the two killings were “arbitrary” and “illegal.” Back in June, Iran issued an arrest warrant for Trump and asked the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to relay the message to other police organizations around the world. Interpol explicitly made it known that they will not meet Iran’s plea.
Trump’s arrest warrant was for a charge of premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty, if convicted. It is unlikely that the charge or conviction will be carried out, but it is symbolic to what is happening at the end of his presidency in America.
Several members of Congress are calling for Trump to be removed from office through impeachment or the 25th amendment to the Constitution after several of his supporters violently breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (Jan. 6).
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in his call for the president to immediately be removed from office. “I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the Vice President to remove this President by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment,” Pelosi said. “If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment that is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus and the American people.”