Obama On Bergdahl Swap: 'Something That I Would Do Again'
Obama On Bergdahl Swap: 'Something That I Would Do Again'
A Taliban leader who reportedly helped orchestrate the group's takeover of Afghanistan was released by former President Barack Obama in exchange for former U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in 2014.
The administration broke the law, the Armed Services Committee says.
The news that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is to be tried for desertion casts the 2014 prisoner swap in a new light. President Barack Obama traded five senior Taliban leaders, who had been imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay, for Bergdahl--and did so without giving Congress 30 days' advance notice. In doing so, the Obama administration broke the law, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. That violation was not just a crime, but also, in context, a high crime. |
Seven months after the military began an investigation into the disappearance of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and his capture by the Taliban, which held him for five years, a new report indicates Army officials have determined Bergdahl — for whom the administration traded five top Gitmo-held terrorists — will be charged as a deserter. Retired…
Shannon Allen, the wife of Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen, posted a scathing message on her Facebook page about Bowe the deserter Bergdahl. Allen was paralyzed by an enemy sniper’s bullet while searching for the Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan in 2009. “Meet my husband, injuries directly brought to you by the actions of this traitor. […]
The senator warned Obama not to release Gitmo prisoners without congressional approval.
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Consequences.
The Bergdahl-for-Taliban swap is under fire from Republican lawmakers and commentators. But Taliban leaders' release does not pose that great a threat to US troops, Pentagon officials say.
A Taliban leader who reportedly helped orchestrate the group's takeover of Afghanistan was released by former President Barack Obama in exchange for former U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in 2014.
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Just when it seemed the right's talking points on Bowe Bergdahl couldn't possibly reach new depths, along comes Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.).
The House voted Tuesday to formally condemn President Obama for releasing five Taliban warriors earlier this year in an exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, with nearly two dozen Democrats joining Republicans in declaring the president broke the law by not giving Congress a heads-up.