George Clooney Slams White House for ‘Infantile Name Calling’ After Trump Administration Calls His ‘Terrible Acting’ a ‘War Crime’

George Clooney fired back at the White House after Communications Director Steven Cheung released a statement condemning the two-time Oscar winner for saying President Donald Trump committed a “war crime” by threatening to erase “a whole civilization” unless Iran agreed to his ceasefire deal that was subsequently reached.

In a statement to The Independent about Clooney’s criticism, Cheung said, “The only person committing war crimes is George Clooney for his awful movies and terrible acting ability.”

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Clooney then fired back in a follow-up obtained by Variety: “Families are losing their loved ones. Children have been incinerated. The world’s economy is on a knife’s edge. This is a time for vigorous debate at the highest levels. Not for infantile name calling. I’ll start. A war crime is alleged ‘when there is intent to physically destroy a nation,’ as defined by the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute. What is the administration’s defense? [besides calling me a failed actor which I happily agree with having starred in ‘Batman and Robin?’].”

The “Ocean’s Eleven” star originally shared his thoughts about Trump’s wartime demeanour while speaking to a group of 3,000 high schoolers at an event organized by the Clooney Foundation for Justice, according to Italian news outlet ANSA.

“Some say Donald Trump is fine. But if anyone says he wants to end a civilization, that’s a war crime,” Clooney said on Wednesday in Cuneo, Italy. “You can still support the conservative point of view, but there must be a line of decency, and we must not cross it.”

Clooney also expressed concerns about the future of NATO. Trump has dismissed the importance of the trans-Atlantic alliance several times during his second term. His frustrations with NATO grew after several European countries refused to join the war efforts in Iran.

“I’m worried about NATO,” Clooney said. “It has ensured that Europe, but also the rest of the world, has been safe. Dismantling an institution like this worries me. Aside from many mistakes, I believe the U.S. [with NATO] has also done many extraordinary things that have stood the test of time.”