George Clooney hit back at the White House after communications director Stephen Chan released a statement accusing the two-time Oscar winner of committing a “war crime” by threatening to wipe out “an entire civilization” if Iran didn’t agree to a cease-fire deal.
In a statement to the Independent about his criticism of Clooney, Chan said: “The only person committing war crimes is George Clooney, with his bad movies and bad acting skills.”
In a follow-up obtained by Variety, Clooney responded: “Families are losing loved ones. Children are being incinerated. The world economy is in crisis. Now is the time to have a vigorous debate at the highest level. This is not about badmouthing young children. Let’s start. As defined by the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute, ‘any act of intent to physically destroy a state’ is a war crime. What is the government going to defend?” (Other than calling me a failed actor, I’m happy to agree that I starred in Batman & Robin).
According to Italian news agency ANSA, the “Ocean’s Eleven” star originally shared his thoughts about Trump’s wartime attitudes while speaking to a group of 3,000 high school students at an event hosted by the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
“Some people say Donald Trump is fine, but if you have someone who says he wants to end civilization, that’s a war crime,” Clooney said Wednesday in Cuneo, Italy. “You can support conservative ideas, but there is always a line of decency that you must not cross.”
Clooney also expressed concern about the future of NATO. President Trump has repeatedly denied the importance of the Atlantic Alliance during his second term. His dissatisfaction with NATO increased when several European countries refused to join the war in Iran.
“I’m worried about NATO,” Clooney said. “It ensured that not only Europe but other parts of the world were safe. Dismantling an organization like this worries me. Apart from its many mistakes, I believe that the United States (along with NATO) also performed many extraordinary actions that will stand the test of time.”
