ZIMMER CALLS ON LAUTENBERG TO SUPPORT TERRORIST TRACKING AGREEMENT

ZIMMER CALLS ON LAUTENBERG TO SUPPORT TERRORIST TRACKING AGREEMENT

-- NJ’s Senior Senator has Long History of Opposing Monitoring Terrorist Communications --

Flemington, NJ – U.S. Senate candidate Dick Zimmer today called on Sen. Frank Lautenberg to put aside his prior opposition and support bipartisan legislation overhauling electronic surveillance rules aimed at tracking foreign terrorists.

“For too long, Frank Lautenberg has voted against giving law enforcement all the tools necessary to protect our citizens from a terrorist attack,” Zimmer said.  “This week, Sen. Lautenberg has an opportunity to join many of his Democrat colleagues – including Sen. Barack Obama – in supporting a bipartisan bill that respects privacy rights while protecting our citizens against terrorism.”

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on legislation (H.R. 6304) this week 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. 

H.R. 6304 passed the U.S. House on June 20 by a vote of 293 to 129.

Frank Lautenberg has a troubling history of voting against bipartisan efforts to reform our current surveillance laws.  Lautenberg has voted four times against providing U.S. intelligence and law enforcement with the tools needed to monitor foreign terrorist networks.

“FISA is a necessary law enforcement tool to protect the country against terrorist attacks,” said Mark Duffy, campaign manager for the Zimmer for Senate campaign.  “Yet it’s been 30 years since Congress has updated FISA.  And while terrorists have adapted to the ever-changing telecommunications technologies, Frank Lautenberg continues to live in the past.  It’s time Sen. Lautenberg stop taking his national security cues from MoveOn.org and the trial lawyers and support a bipartisan effort to modernize our nation's terrorist surveillance laws.”

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