George Clooney rubs elbows with Biden at star-studded LA fundraiser after calling White House with complaint
Fox News
George Clooney will be rubbing elbows with President Biden at a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday evening, after reportedly calling the White House earlier this month to complain about the president’s criticism of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Saturday night’s gala at the Peacock Theater, which will feature other Hollywood heavyweights like Julia Roberts, is expected to haul in millions. Tickets ranged from $250 for a single person to get in the door, to half a million dollars for special access, photos with Biden and former President Barack Obama, and invitations to an after-party.
Biden will arrive directly from the G-7 summit in Italy, where he met with other world leaders this week. His attendance in Los Angeles on Saturday means he will be skipping a summit in Switzerland about ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Vice President Kamala Harris will be there to represent the U.S.
Clooney’s appearance comes after he was reported to have called the White House earlier this month, complaining about the president’s critique of the ICC seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a case his wife, human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney worked on.
As previously reported, the Academy Award-winning actor called Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, to push back on Biden’s dismissal of arrest warrants sought by the ICC targeting Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Clooney was particularly irked that the Biden administration was initially open to slapping the ICC with sanctions, given his wife could be potentially subjected to penalties, according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the call.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and representatives for Clooney for comment.
Obama will join Clooney and Roberts for Saturday’s fundraiser, and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will interview all of them onstage. In a text message to donors beforehand, Roberts called it “a crucial time in the election.” Kimmel wrote in his own text that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump “will hate this, so let’s do it.”
Luminaries from the entertainment world have increasingly lined up to help Biden’s campaign, hoping to provide a fundraising jolt and to energize would-be supporters to turn out ahead of Election Day against Trump.