Ravi Bhalla today announced that he will actively back and co-sponsor the Guarding the United States Against Reckless Disclosures (GUARD) Act, if elected to Congress. Introduced by Representative Miki Sherrill (D-NJ-11), the GUARD Act prohibits federal officeholders and candidates who are charged with specified crimes involving putting our national security in jeopardy or obstructing official proceedings from receiving classified information.

The legislation is timely. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Menendez continues to have access to top-secret information, despite being indicted for acting as an agent of Egypt and working on behalf of Qatar for his own personal benefit, raking in bribes from foreign sources. Additionally, once Donald Trump is officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, he will receive intelligence briefings that could contain classified information, even-though he is charged with willfully mishandling classified documents and obstructing efforts to retrieve those documents.

“It is essential to our national security that we safeguard classified information,” said Ravi Bhalla.  “It is the only way to retain the trust of other nations, so they continue to share valuable intelligence secrets, as well as to protect sources and methods. Elected officials, candidates and other federal office holders who are facing charges for serious crimes that jeopardize our national security should lose their access to top secret information. I strongly back the GUARD Act—and will co-sponsor it as a member of Congress.”

Ravi Bhalla called on Representative Rob Menendez Jr to declare his public support for and co-sponsor the GUARD Act. “I call on Rob Menendez Jr to publicly back the Guard Act and sign on as a co-sponsor,” said Bhalla. “There is no excuse for being missing in action on this important national security measure.”

Ravi Bhalla is challenging Rob Menendez Jr. in the Democratic Primary for New Jersey’s 8th district Congressional seat.

###