Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton on Wednesday blasted Apple's decision to challenge a judge's order directing the company to help authorities access an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino, Calif., shooters.
In a statement, Cotton called it "unfortunate" that "the great company Apple is becoming the company of choice for terrorists, drug dealers, and sexual predators of all sorts."
"Apple chose to protect a dead ISIS terrorist's privacy over the security of the American people," he said. "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."
Cook, the CEO of Apple, defended the decision in his own statement, calling the order an example of government overreach with implications beyond the San Bernardino case.
Cotton said the encryption issue goes beyond just terrorism cases.
"It is also a drug-trafficking, kidnapping, and child pornography issue that impacts every state of the Union," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.