Contact: Caroline Rabbitt (202) 224-2353

Washington, D.C.- Senator Tom Cotton made the following statement in response to Apple's refusal to obey a judge's order to assist the FBI in a terrorism investigation:

"Apple chose to protect a dead ISIS terrorist's p‎rivacy over the security of the American people. The Executive and Legislative Branches have been working with the private sector with the hope of resolving the 'Going Dark' problem. Regrettably, the position Tim Cook and Apple have taken shows that they are unwilling to compromise and that legislation is likely the only way to resolve this issue. The problem of end-to-end encryption isn't just a terrorism issue. It is also a drug-trafficking, kidnapping, and child pornography issue that impacts every state of the Union. It's unfortunate that the great company Apple is becoming the company of choice for terrorists, drug dealers, and sexual predators of all sorts."