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LAUTENBERG VOTES TO TAKE AWAY TOOLS TO TRACK DOWN TERRORISTS

-- NJ’s Senior Senator Continues His Troubling Pattern of Opposing Monitoring Terrorist Communications --

Flemington, NJ – New Jersey’s senior Senator Frank Lautenberg yesterday once again thumbed his nose at national and homeland security when he voted to kill bipartisan legislation overhauling electronic surveillance rules aimed at tracking foreign terrorists.

“Frank Lautenberg has once again voted against giving law enforcement an important tool necessary to protect our citizens from a terrorist attack,” Republican Senate candidate Dick Zimmer said.  “Yesterday Sen. Lautenberg had an opportunity to join 31 of his Democratic colleagues in moving toward passage of a bipartisan bill that respects privacy rights while protecting our citizens against terrorism.  Instead, Lautenberg voted to kill the measure in an attempt to cripple our efforts to track down terrorists and bring them to justice.”

The U.S. Senate yesterday voted to move ahead and debate legislation (H.R. 6304) that would extend the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to cover the monitoring of terrorist communications overseas.  The measure would also grant immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the terrorist surveillance program after the 9/11 attacks. 

Frank Lautenberg was one of 15 senators to vote to stop H.R. 6304 from moving toward Senate passage – thus killing the bill.  H.R. 6304 passed the U.S. House on June 20 by a vote of 293 to 129.

Lautenberg’s vote Wednesday adds to an already troubling history of opposing bipartisan efforts to reform our current surveillance laws.  Lautenberg has now voted five times against providing U.S. intelligence and law enforcement with the tools needed to monitor foreign terrorist networks.

“Even liberals like Barack Obama believe FISA to be a necessary law enforcement tool to protect the country against terrorist attacks,” said Mark Duffy, campaign manager for the Zimmer for Senate campaign.  “Yet Frank Lautenberg and his friends at MoveOn.org and the trial bar continue to oppose bipartisan efforts to modernize our nation's terrorist surveillance laws.  Yet another reason why New Jersey voters believe Frank Lautenberg’s been in Washington too long.”

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