Uncertainty Cleared as Iran-Backed Judge Seeking Trump’s Arrest Confirms Invite to Washington DC

Iraq's top judge, Faiq Zidan, who has been seeking the arrest of former President Donald Trump, has confirmed through his spokesperson that he has been invited to Washington, D.C. Fox News Digital first reported the story of Zidan's invitation to the U.S. capital.

As per Fox News, confusion arose when it was revealed that the controversial judge was scheduled to meet with officials at the Department of Justice, with a State Department spokesperson stating last week that "The Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan is going to be hosted by the Department of Justice, so we defer to the DOJ to discuss their meetings. We engage with a wide range of counterparts in Iraq, and we value engaging the Iraqi judiciary. The DOJ meets regularly with foreign judicial leaders." Contradicting the State Department's statement, a source familiar with the situation informed Fox News Digital that "Zidan will not be meeting with any DOJ officials."

Recently, Zidan's spokesperson messaged Fox News Digital on the WhatsApp messaging service, stating, "His visit to Washington was postponed due to the current war conditions. When he visits Washington, he will hold a meeting with you to clarify many matters that are not clear to American public opinion." The Iraqi spokesperson declined to comment on the phone or via WhatsApp when contacted by Fox News Digital before the publication of the initial article. After sending the article to the Iraqi spokesperson, she stated that the conflict in Israel was hindering Zidan's travel to Washington.

Zidan, in January, had announced that Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council had issued an arrest warrant for Trump in connection with the targeted killing of Iranian Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force. Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of over 600 American military personnel in the Middle East. The U.S. military had killed both Soleimani and al-Muhandis with a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. According to U.S.-sanctioned Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, "One of the most important examples of judicial cooperation between the two neighboring and brotherly countries is the trial of all those who participated in the terrorist crime of martyring the commanders of fighting against terrorism."

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, commented on the situation, saying, "The Justice Department should be focused on protecting Americans targeted by IRGC assassinations and kidnapping plots, not hosting the IRGC’s man in Baghdad who wants to prosecute Americans for killing terrorists. Zidan should not be allowed in America." Michael Knights, a fellow of the Washington Institute, expressed concern about Zidan's actions, stating that he issued orders that favored Iranian militias' interests. Knights highlighted the lack of modern judicial norms in Iraq, emphasizing that Zidan, as a supreme court judge, holds significant power.