WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in reaction to the news that retired FBI agent Bob Levinson is believed to have died in Iranian custody:
“My heart goes out to the Levinson family tonight, who are mourning the loss of a beloved husband and father, especially his son, who works in my DC office and his daughters who are New Jersey constituents. For far too long, they fought tirelessly and valiantly, day in and day out, to gather information about Bob’s whereabouts to bring him home, and I remain inspired by their struggle and sacrifice. As I pray for the Levinson family, I recommit to fight until Congress approves the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-taking Accountability Act so that the United States government has the tools it needs to help prevent any other family from going through a similar tragedy.”
“To be clear, the Iranian regime is fully responsible for Bob Levinson’s disappearance and his death. Bob’s imprisonment was cruel and arbitrary, but consistent with the behavior of the Iranian regime. They must be held accountable for their gross human rights abuses and abject cruelty of keeping a father away from his children and from grandchildren he will never meet. Along with the family, I want to extend my gratitude to all those across the FBI and the federal government who worked incessantly to bring him home.”
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