Melvin Watt: “I want to point out two or three different concerns that we have with the bill. First of all, Mr. Chairman, I think the…”

“I want to point out two or three different concerns that we have with the bill. First of all, Mr. Chairman, I think the bill is unnecessary. There are underlying statutes which already provide severe penalties for witness or jury tampering and retaliation. Section 1503 provides for a penalty of up to 20 years and a fine for jury tampering. Section 1512 provides for the death penalty for murdering a witness to prevent his or her testimony at trial. Section 1513 provides the death penalty for murdering a witness in retaliation for his or her testimony at trial. So there are already severe penalties in the law for jury tampering and witness tampering, and for retaliation.”