Bob Menendez

Thank you, Senator Lautenberg and Senator Schumer, for your leadership on this matter.

This evidence, although circumstantial, is deeply troubling, not just for the families of the Lockerbie victims, but for all Americans and all nations of the world who are committed to bringing terrorists to justice.

Thank you for your continuing commitment to helping us get to the truth.

I worked hard, here in the Senate, to secure funding so that the victims' families could attend the trial that took place in The Hague.

You both have said that it was a very strong, unequivocal position of the United States that al-Megrahi should not be released, certainly not be allowed to return to Libya.

Based on that statement alone, is there not reasonable suspicion that the United Kingdom's decision to conclude a Prisoner Transfer Agreement that did not explicitly exclude al-Megrahi was based primarily on the U.K.'s concern about its…

However, I still believe we do need a full investigation, including testimony of the al-Megrahi release, so that we can learn from this mistake and assess what steps can be taken so that justice is served and terrorists are held…

If we don't know how a guilty terrorist could go free, then we will not be able to hold international terrorists accountable in the future.

Do we send a message that a convicted terrorist, a mass murderer can ultimately, after a period of time, be free and live in the lap of luxury?

We have to know how an oil company was able to reap actual profits from the course of these events.

Many questions surrounding the circumstances of Megrahi's release remain unanswered.

The images at the end, at his reception in Libya, paint an image that is incredibly upsetting, to say the least, to have a hero's welcome, flag-waving admirers shouting his name, praising him, celebrating his return; a man who is…

We are a nation founded on the rule of law; and when the law and our notion of justice is turned on its head, for whatever reason, we believe it is our obligation to turn it back again.

I have urged the Prime Minister to do in a meeting with him when he was in the United States.

This committee and the families of the victims want to understand how and why the decision to release was made.

Because on December 21, 1988, 270 innocent people were sent to their deaths at the hands of a Libyan terrorist, a mass murderer named Abdelbasset al-Megrahi.

To shed some light on the troubling circumstances surrounding the early release of Abdelbasset al-Megrahi, the convicted Pan Am 103 Lockerbie bomber.

What irony it is that this man who took these lives and, without a thought about it, planned carefully, the court decided that this was his idea and his management that brought that airplane down.

We're absolutely--Mr. Chairman, evidenced by you and by Senator Gillibrand here and people from this committee--determined to find out.

The release on compassionate grounds was deeply, deeply flawed, and perhaps even intentionally skewed to allow for Mr. al-Megrahi's release.

Let me start off by thanking our witnesses for being here today and participating in this critical hearing.

This hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order.

I think it is very clear that the majority leader said there would be a host of amendments that would be offered once we went to the bill and disposed of a few particular amendments that the majority leader was going to offer, that are in…

Gentlemen, we cannot afford not to do it.

Just look at China. It understands how it is making its investments in such a way that it is going to yield enormous economic opportunities for that country.