Adam Keith
@adamofkeith.bsky.social
Director, Accountability at Human Rights First. Former career State Dept/NSC, Princeton SPIA, Rice University. Human rights, intl justice, foreign policy. Views mine alone.
Reposted by Adam Keith
One obvious function of any such congressional oversight is to identify all the U.S. officials and personnel involved in the killing spree at sea.
Senate Armed Services Committee responds to news stories about the alleged double tap strike:
November 29, 2025 at 6:12 PM
One obvious function of any such congressional oversight is to identify all the U.S. officials and personnel involved in the killing spree at sea.
Reposted by Adam Keith
It is a particular challenge for this SecDef to convincingly argue these operations are lawful given his own history of war crimes appreciation and denigration of military lawyers.
a lot of words, none of them denying that Hegseth gave an order to kill helpless people who were stranded at sea after he blew up their boats
November 29, 2025 at 1:20 AM
It is a particular challenge for this SecDef to convincingly argue these operations are lawful given his own history of war crimes appreciation and denigration of military lawyers.
Reposted by Adam Keith
lawlessness is the signature feature of the trump regime. the supreme court is useless as a brake and it will only get worse in the coming year(s) unless congress stops acquiescing in it.
November 29, 2025 at 12:04 AM
lawlessness is the signature feature of the trump regime. the supreme court is useless as a brake and it will only get worse in the coming year(s) unless congress stops acquiescing in it.
Reposted by Adam Keith
If they ever get around to building this thing, it should be bulldozed on Day 1 of a new administration. No messing around, no hemming and hawing about procedure or costs. Order heavy equipment in and start knocking it down immediately, as surely as an overthrown tyrant's statues would be torn down.
Even the architect Trump hired to build his massive addition to the White House objects to the president's vision. The two have argued about the size of the 90,000-sq-foot project that would dwarf the mansion. @jonathanreports.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump wants a bigger White House ballroom. His architect disagrees.
The president and James McCrery had argued in recent weeks over the project’s size, with Trump pushing him to expand the ballroom.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:56 PM
If they ever get around to building this thing, it should be bulldozed on Day 1 of a new administration. No messing around, no hemming and hawing about procedure or costs. Order heavy equipment in and start knocking it down immediately, as surely as an overthrown tyrant's statues would be torn down.
Reposted by Adam Keith
Textbook war crime/extrajudicial killing
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Textbook war crime/extrajudicial killing
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
Reposted by Adam Keith
The Trump admin will tear down the entire human rights system--and treat the most respected jurists like terrorists--to protect Israel's leaders from accountability for what essentially the whole world recognizes to be terrible crimes. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
The Trump admin will tear down the entire human rights system--and treat the most respected jurists like terrorists--to protect Israel's leaders from accountability for what essentially the whole world recognizes to be terrible crimes. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Adam Keith
The #ICC Deputy Prosecutor briefed the UNSC yesterday on the progress of the OTP’s investigation in the Libya situation. LFJL welcomes the decision to extend investigations in Libya beyond May 2026, in line with LFJL’s and our partners’ recommendations (link to report below)
November 26, 2025 at 11:23 AM
The #ICC Deputy Prosecutor briefed the UNSC yesterday on the progress of the OTP’s investigation in the Libya situation. LFJL welcomes the decision to extend investigations in Libya beyond May 2026, in line with LFJL’s and our partners’ recommendations (link to report below)
Reposted by Adam Keith
The Epstein/Summers emails made last week especially tough week for some of us - a reminder that serial offenders only survive within an enabling culture. @rlswrites.bsky.social gets it. Plse read & share her powerful piece @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
Opinion | The Real Epstein Cover-Up
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The Epstein/Summers emails made last week especially tough week for some of us - a reminder that serial offenders only survive within an enabling culture. @rlswrites.bsky.social gets it. Plse read & share her powerful piece @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/o...
Reposted by Adam Keith
At a news conference this week during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the US, a reporter asked President Donald Trump about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
President Trump claimed that Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.”
President Trump claimed that Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.”
November 19, 2025 at 4:38 PM
At a news conference this week during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the US, a reporter asked President Donald Trump about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
President Trump claimed that Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.”
President Trump claimed that Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.”
Reposted by Adam Keith
“You literally have an axe murderer before you,” prosecutor Julian Nicholls told judges in The Hague as Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, looked on.
ICC prosecutors seek life sentence for Janjaweed leader convicted of Darfur crimes
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have asked for a life sentence for a Janjaweed militia leader convicted of atrocities in Darfur over 20 years ago.
apnews.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:10 PM
“You literally have an axe murderer before you,” prosecutor Julian Nicholls told judges in The Hague as Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, looked on.
Reposted by Adam Keith
I’m not going to pretend it’s easy to say something in the moment when you witness the president do this and you’re aboard Air Force One with all the uniformed officers and secret service and fancy wood accents, but this is really an instance where you should. people.com/donald-trump...
Donald Trump Snaps at Female Reporter Who Asks About Epstein Files: 'Quiet Piggy'
Donald Trump Says 'Quiet Piggy' to Female Reporter Asking About Epstein Files
people.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:42 AM
I’m not going to pretend it’s easy to say something in the moment when you witness the president do this and you’re aboard Air Force One with all the uniformed officers and secret service and fancy wood accents, but this is really an instance where you should. people.com/donald-trump...
Reposted by Adam Keith
Pleased to speak with @nickturse.bsky.social about the OLC permission slip for the US killing spree at sea.
“It’s legal Mad Libs. They’re throwing all these terms and concepts at the wall, but there’s no real content or substance behind them.”
“It’s legal Mad Libs. They’re throwing all these terms and concepts at the wall, but there’s no real content or substance behind them.”
Secret Boat Strike Memo Justifies Killings By Claiming the Target Is Drugs, Not People
In a memo promising legal immunity for those who kill alleged drug traffickers, the Trump administration floated an unusual legal theory.
theintercept.com/2025/11/14/b...
In a memo promising legal immunity for those who kill alleged drug traffickers, the Trump administration floated an unusual legal theory.
theintercept.com/2025/11/14/b...
Secret Boat Strike Memo Justifies Killings By Claiming the Target Is Drugs, Not People
In a memo promising legal immunity for those who kill alleged drug traffickers, the Trump administration floated an unusual legal theory.
theintercept.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Pleased to speak with @nickturse.bsky.social about the OLC permission slip for the US killing spree at sea.
“It’s legal Mad Libs. They’re throwing all these terms and concepts at the wall, but there’s no real content or substance behind them.”
“It’s legal Mad Libs. They’re throwing all these terms and concepts at the wall, but there’s no real content or substance behind them.”
Reposted by Adam Keith
Today in UK parliament, @chloecheung.bsky.social @iainduncansmithmp.bsky.social @billbrowder.bsky.social @uzraz.bsky.social & Finn Lau urged the UK govt to follow the lead of @usstatedept.bsky.social and sanction the #HongKong officials responsible for the national security crackdown in #HK.
November 13, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Today in UK parliament, @chloecheung.bsky.social @iainduncansmithmp.bsky.social @billbrowder.bsky.social @uzraz.bsky.social & Finn Lau urged the UK govt to follow the lead of @usstatedept.bsky.social and sanction the #HongKong officials responsible for the national security crackdown in #HK.
Reposted by Adam Keith
Something the US needs to accept too is that without a large-scale correction imposing consequences on a large number of people, the crisis of governance here will continue indefinitely
November 12, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Something the US needs to accept too is that without a large-scale correction imposing consequences on a large number of people, the crisis of governance here will continue indefinitely
Reposted by Adam Keith
One of many costs to US murder (sorry, no better word for it) in Caribbean:
"United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal."
"United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal."
Exclusive: UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns in major break | CNN Politics
The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes ...
edition.cnn.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM
One of many costs to US murder (sorry, no better word for it) in Caribbean:
"United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal."
"United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal."
Reposted by Adam Keith
In honor of Viktor Orban's visit to Washington, here's a reminder that Orban has made his country corrupt, stagnant, and impoverished:
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
America’s Future Is Hungary
MAGA conservatives love Viktor Orbán. But he’s left his country corrupt, stagnant, and impoverished.
www.theatlantic.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:52 PM
In honor of Viktor Orban's visit to Washington, here's a reminder that Orban has made his country corrupt, stagnant, and impoverished:
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Reposted by Adam Keith
The elimination of USAID was an unforgivable moral atrocity that should haunt Trump, Elon Musk and Marco Rubio for the rest of their days and beyond
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 2:36 AM
The elimination of USAID was an unforgivable moral atrocity that should haunt Trump, Elon Musk and Marco Rubio for the rest of their days and beyond
Reposted by Adam Keith
One problem with a politicized justice system is you stop being able to tell what are genuine investigations
NYT - Federal prosecutors have opened a corruption investigation into DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, examining a foreign trip she took with members of her staff that was paid for by Qatar […]
Original post on journa.host
journa.host
November 6, 2025 at 11:41 PM
One problem with a politicized justice system is you stop being able to tell what are genuine investigations
Reposted by Adam Keith
Fourteen years later, I *still* think one of the best ways for us to repudiate Cheney's legacy of torture would be to recognize and honor the courageous soldiers and public servants who exposed the torture policies and tried to end them. www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/o...
November 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Fourteen years later, I *still* think one of the best ways for us to repudiate Cheney's legacy of torture would be to recognize and honor the courageous soldiers and public servants who exposed the torture policies and tried to end them. www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/o...
Reposted by Adam Keith
emerging reports about possibly imminent US military attack on venezuela. there can be no doubt about it, certainly not in the coverage: such an attack would be an act of aggression, lacking any basis in international law. we'll get sophistic arguments about self-defense but none will be legit.
October 31, 2025 at 3:02 PM
emerging reports about possibly imminent US military attack on venezuela. there can be no doubt about it, certainly not in the coverage: such an attack would be an act of aggression, lacking any basis in international law. we'll get sophistic arguments about self-defense but none will be legit.
Reposted by Adam Keith
Once again, any such attack on Venezuela would be illegal.
Regime change dressed up as counterterrorism and counter-narcotics.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
Regime change dressed up as counterterrorism and counter-narcotics.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
U.S. poised to strike military targets in Venezuela in escalation against Maduro regime
The Trump Administration has made the decision to attack military installations inside Venezuela and the strikes could come at any moment, sources with knowledge of the situation told the Miami Herald...
www.miamiherald.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Once again, any such attack on Venezuela would be illegal.
Regime change dressed up as counterterrorism and counter-narcotics.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
Regime change dressed up as counterterrorism and counter-narcotics.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
"To date, the administration’s claimed legal bases for conducting the lethal operations...are counterfactual, counter-normative, and, as this essay has illustrated, contradictory. They smack of a desperate attempt to justify action that is clearly unlawful."
www.justsecurity.org/123360/presi...
www.justsecurity.org/123360/presi...
Irreconcilable Presidential Determinations on TdA and Venezuela
The two characterizations are mutually exclusive; it is legally impossible to maintain both simultaneously.
www.justsecurity.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
"To date, the administration’s claimed legal bases for conducting the lethal operations...are counterfactual, counter-normative, and, as this essay has illustrated, contradictory. They smack of a desperate attempt to justify action that is clearly unlawful."
www.justsecurity.org/123360/presi...
www.justsecurity.org/123360/presi...
Reposted by Adam Keith
A truly shameful decision by #Kyrgyzstan to declare independent investigative outlets Temirov Live and Kloop as “extremist.” A country that was once a beacon of press freedom in Central Asia continues its slide into authoritarianism cpj.org/2025/10/kyrg...
Kyrgyzstan declares investigative outlets Kloop and Temirov Live ‘extremist’ - Committee to Protect Journalists
New York, October 28, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the reversal of an October 27 court decision in Kyrgyzstan declaring the publications of investigative outlets Temirov Live an...
cpj.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:40 PM
A truly shameful decision by #Kyrgyzstan to declare independent investigative outlets Temirov Live and Kloop as “extremist.” A country that was once a beacon of press freedom in Central Asia continues its slide into authoritarianism cpj.org/2025/10/kyrg...
Reposted by Adam Keith
If—and this is a huge "if"—it allows the unilateral presidential imposition of tariffs at all, IEEPA does so only in the context of an "unusual and extraordinary threat ... to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States."
Which of those is "Trump got his feelings hurt"?
Which of those is "Trump got his feelings hurt"?
BREAKING: Trump says he's punishing Canada with 10% extra import tax for not pulling down an anti-tariff ad sooner.
Trump punishes Canada with 10% extra import tax for not pulling down anti-tariffs ad sooner
President Donald Trump says he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10% because of an anti-tariff television ad aired by the province of Ontario.
bit.ly
October 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
If—and this is a huge "if"—it allows the unilateral presidential imposition of tariffs at all, IEEPA does so only in the context of an "unusual and extraordinary threat ... to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States."
Which of those is "Trump got his feelings hurt"?
Which of those is "Trump got his feelings hurt"?