President Donald Trump can't simply refuse to sign the Paris climate deal, he must actively nullify it, says conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.
That, Limbaugh says, is because of language in the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties — dubbed the "treaty on treaties" by the talk show host.
"Under Article 18 of the treaty on treaties, once a nation … does something that could be interpreted as 'express[ing] its consent to be bound by the treaty,'" Limbaugh said, adding "that is essentially signing and ratifying a treaty."
As an example, he said, if the Paris Agreement were being discussed, and Trump said, "You know, I can see where this thing might have some value. We, the United States, are not willing to sign this, but we're willing to work with nations on it," that very statement would bind the United States even though it is not technically a treaty and has not been ratified by the Senate.
Trump must "openly and notoriously" pull out of the accord and not merely say he doesn't like it, Limbaugh added. "He cannot say that he agrees with it in principle but isn't gonna sign it. … If he commits to it just verbally by signaling that he understands, that he's willing to pledge the United States assistance, even though he says he's not gonna sign it, he doesn't have to because of the treaty on treaties."
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