Amal Clooney: Trump Proposals "Are Violations of International Human Rights Law"

The international human rights lawyer and wife of actor and activist George Clooney expressed concern about some of the president-elect's rhetoric but praised his commitment to fight the Islamic State, at a Texas women's conference.

She may be married to a famous Hollywood leftie, but international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney — also known as Mrs. George Clooney — extended something of an olive branch to President-elect Donald Trump during her keynote speech at the Texas Conference for Women, in Austin on Nov. 15.

"We have to hope for the best," she told the 7,000-plus attendees, sounding a note of optimism, especially for her work representing women who have been enslaved and trafficked by the Islamic State as part of the ongoing Yazidi genocide. "The president-elect has said that fighting ISIS is actually a priority … so it may be that there can be progress, and obviously everyone has to respect the outcome of the democratic process here, and we have to hope for the best."

Still, Clooney, 38, probably won't be sporting a "Make America Great Again" baseball cap anytime soon. She noted that "[Trump's comments] that there should be a religious test imposed on entering the U.S. or the fact that there should be state-sponsored torture or that families of suspected terrorists should all be killed — all of those things are violations of international human rights law and the values that underlie that."

America's reputation in the community of nations, she added, is at risk, and she already is hearing fear in the voices of her friends and contacts overseas. "I think there's some concern from abroad as to are these things actually going to happen, or is the U.S. going to lose some of the moral standing that it has internationally."

Clooney also offered some words on gender rights, calling on women to commit "everyday acts of feminism" and support one another in the workplace and beyond. "The worst thing that we can do as women is not stand up for each other, and this is something we can practice every day, no matter where we are and what we do — women sticking up for other women, choosing to protect and celebrate each other instead of competing or criticizing one another."

"Women's rights," she said, quoting Hillary Clinton, "are human rights. Holding back women is holding back half of every country in the world."