[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6348-6349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FREEDOM FOR BOB LEVINSON

  Mr. NELSON. Madam President, at 5:30 p.m. today, we are going to vote 
on S. Con. Res. 16, which calls on the Government of Iran to release 
Americans who are being held. It also calls on the government to 
cooperate in finding, locating, and ultimately releasing Bob Levinson.
  Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent, while visiting the tourist 
Island of Kish in the Persian Gulf, which is a part of Iran, suddenly 
disappeared in 2007. It has been 8 years since his disappearance, which 
occurred on March 9, 2007. Since Bob is a part of this resolution, this 
is just another of a continuing conversation this Senator from Florida 
has had over the course of the last 8 years. It is unbelievable that it 
has been 8 years.
  It wasn't until 2010--3\1/2\ years after his disappearance--that the 
Levinson family received a proof-of-life video. Then, 1 year later, 
they received photographs of Bob, in April of 2011. Since then, 
nothing.
  Now, if the Government of Iran really wanted to help, they could. It 
may be that one part of the Iranian Government is keeping it from other 
parts. It could be the military--or the special part of the military, 
the Quds Force--knows, and it may be that the Foreign Minister and the 
President of Iran do not have the facts. But there is somebody in Iran 
who can produce the facts, if he wanted to, and that is the Supreme 
Leader.
  Now, in this era of intense negotiations over preventing Iran from 
having a nuclear weapon and preventing them from the ability to develop 
a nuclear weapon any time in the next 10 years without us at least 
getting 1 year's advance notice so we can take countermeasures; in this 
time of intense discussions with Iran--of course, it is constantly 
brought up by our negotiating team, including Secretary of State Kerry, 
but it is rather inexcusable that the only answer Iran has is, We don't 
know anything about Bob Levinson.
  This is, of course, personal to the FBI community because the hostage 
is one of their retired agents. It is personal to us in Florida as 
well. Bob left behind a wife, seven children, and four grandchildren. 
Christine Levinson lives in Florida. A number of the FBI agents who 
have tried to help her over the course of the years also live in 
Florida. We are hopefully and prayerfully expectant that if it is a 
successfully concluded negotiation to prevent Iran from having a 
nuclear weapon, that the Government of Iran will immediately release 
all Americans who are in jail whom we know about and likewise will make 
the effort to find Bob and bring him home to his wife and seven 
children. That is what humanity would absolutely require.
  So at this particular time--8 years-plus into the process--we make 
this

[[Page 6349]]

plea for former FBI agent Bob Levinson.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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