GOP Congressman: Apple Risks Having 'Blood on Hands'

If Apple sticks by its refusal to comply with the FBI's request to help it unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists, it risks being responsible for anyone killed by people who could have been caught, Florida Rep. David Jolly said Thursday.

"I think Apple leadership risks having blood on their hands, and I think [CEO] Tim Cook is gonna have a hard time explaining why he stood in the way of justice," Jolly said during a congressional hearing Thursday as FBI Director James Comey was testifying.

Rep. David Jolly says Apple execs risk "having blood on their hands" by refusing to help FBI https://t.co/Am11hFy9So https://t.co/AZr8vba4vS

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 25, 2016

Apple has said it will not comply with a court order to develop software to break into the phone, which was encrypted by Sayed Farook.

The FBI has told Apple it will give the phone to Apple and let it keep it after extracting the information, but Apple says that creating such "backdoor" software, which does not currently exist, could end up in the hands of bad actors who could then hack into phones.

Related Stories:

• Apple Files Arguments in Court Opposing FBI IPhone Request
• Gen. Hayden: Apple Must Prove Danger in Helping FBI in San Bernardino Case