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Comment by epistasis | Hacker News Reader

Reminder for those that don't click through: Microsoft killed the email account of an ICC prosecutor, at the request of Trump:

> According to Handelsblatt, the decision is to be seen against the backdrop of sanctions by the current US administration under President Donald Trump against employees such as Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. Microsoft simply blocked his email access. He therefore had to switch to the Swiss email service Proton. Since the ICC is highly dependent on service providers like Microsoft, its work is being paralyzed, it was stated in May.

While there are clear financial wins too, basic sovereignty is at stake.

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Yeah, seems like a no-brainer to react to something like that. Is there anyone in any circumstances that wouldn't want to move as far away from a company like Microsoft who acts on the whims like that? Even as a business strategy, it doesn't make any sense, but seems most companies are trying to kiss the ring of the king, rather than focusing on providing stable, robust and trustworthy services, so you reap what you sow.

Microsoft, being a U.S. company, had no choice in the matter. U.S. imposed sanctions on the guy. One component of sanctions is "Prohibition on U.S. persons (individuals or entities) conducting business or transactions with Khan."

If Microsoft didn't cancel his account it would be breaking the law by "conducting business or transactions with Khan."

So yeah, it makes sense for ICC to switch to a non-US provider, e.g. one in Germany, but it's not 100% solution because U.S. can impose secondary sanctions i.e. sanction the German company. I don't know if ICC sanctions include secondary sanctions but U.S. did that for Russian oil i.e. they said if e.g. Indian company buys Russian oil, they'll sanction Indian company too.

> Microsoft killed the email account of an ICC prosecutor, at the request of Trump

These are legally-binding sanctions, issued under the same authority as those levied against Putin and Russia for the invasion of Ukraine:

* ICC: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/impo...

* Russia: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/addr...

The ICC sanctions are politically unpopular in Europe, whereas the Russia sanctions are popular in Europe. But the email account was not closed simply "at the request of Trump." Companies face serious consequences if they do business with sanctioned persons or entities - that's what makes sanctions work.

Agreed that the sanctions aspect is an important part here. But the sanctions are only for the personal and partisan benefits of President Trump, there was no benefit to the United States here.

The tariffs in your second link are not sanctions, and in fact the President levying tariffs as a normal course of business is illegal and unconstitutional in the United States. But it's a good example of the lawlessness of the current President, and his grabs at more power in an attempt to become a tyrant.

> But the email account was not closed simply "at the request of Trump."

Yes, it absolutely was closed at the request of Trump, via sanctions. That's the entire point. The President of the United States can and will target anybody he does not like for whatever minor reason crosses his mind on a random afternoon. That makes it risky to engage in any sort of long-term transaction with a US company.

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