# Who has the power to arrest the president?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/816717>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [June 25, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/816717 "2018-06-25T17:32:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/816717/1 "2018-06-25T17:32:53Z")

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The column: [Who has the power to arrest the president? - The Straight Dope](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3206/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/)

A related earlier thread which wasn’t in the Comments on Cecil’s Columns forum: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=811574](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=811574)

I noticed this sentence: “But in 2000, during Kenneth Starr’s investigation of the Monica Lewinsky matter, the Office of Legal Counsel reaffirmed its position.”

By 2000, however, Starr’s investigation was already wrapped up. He submitted his report, which led to President Clinton’s impeachment by the House but later acquittal by the Senate, in September 1998: [Starr Report - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starr_Report)

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**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/816717/2 "2018-06-25T17:49:10Z")

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Interpol actually has the power to issue a warrant for the arrest of the President of the United States. However, unlike what is depicted in some Hollywood movies like “Hitman”, for example, they do not have a physical police force that would actually show up and attempt to take him into custody. He would have to surrender himself or be surrendered to them by U.S. authorities. He would then be tried in the international criminal court in the Hague.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/816717/3 "2018-06-25T17:59:50Z")

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As the U.S. is not a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, it seems highly unlikely that the President would be turned over to it by any U.S. authorities: [United States and the International Criminal Court - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_the_International_Criminal_Court)