Why was Bergdahl Released Without Notifying Congress?

I’m not a huge fan of Dianne Feinstein. So when even she is questioning Obama’s policies, you know something really bad must have happened. Apparently Feinstein was upset that Congress wasn’t notified about the release of Bowe Bergdahl at least thirty days prior to the prisoner exchange—as the law requires. But the White House has responded that the swap was so urgent, there was no time to follow the law. That, and apparently Congress has known about the situation all along and stuff:

National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Sunday on CNN that the “acute urgency” of Bergdahl’s failing health and what she described as a narrow opportunity to win his freedom justified making the move without notifying Congress.

 

On Monday, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough defended the administration’s handling of the negotiations, saying Congress had known for years of negotiations for Bergdahl’s release, including the possibility that detainees might be released.

Umm. That doesn’t really work, does it? First off, we’ve known about the Bergdahl situation for quite some time, as the administration so aptly pointed out to Congress. In fact, the Taliban offered this same swap about a year ago in June 2013. Jay Carney even commented on it in a press interview, making it very clear that the administration wouldn’t make any decisions without consulting Congress first:

With regard to the transfer of Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, we have made—the United States has not made the decision to do that, though we do expect the Taliban to raise this issue in our discussion, if and when those discussions happen.

As we have long said, however, we would not make any decisions about transfer of any detainees without consulting with Congress and without doing so in accordance with U.S. law.

Well, you can just chalk that up as another broken promise and broken law from this administration.

And if the administration was so worried about the health of Bergdahl, why bring him back here? The Taliban probably provides better healthcare than the VA hospital. And if his health was really in such crisis, why wasn’t this exchange made earlier?

So why did Obama exchange Bowe Bergdahl so suddenly? We may never know. But one thing is for sure—the stated reasons for the exchange don’t hold water.

59 responses

  1. Is Executive Privilege that strong and our Constitution that weak that the POTUS can do anything he wants, whenever he wants, for whatever reason he wants regardless of laws defined by the COTUS?

    Why is no one holding Obama accountable?

    • Hogwash! Believe what you will but is it too logical to wait for all the facts? The people who write the articles on this site are not journalists. Ditto for Fox. I search the internet, listen to the news and I do it over and over again.

      • Hehe, so you want to stall for time? Another dirty Dem trick, stall, investigate, blame Bush, then say “Dude, that was 6 months ago!”

        • Did you watch? There were former military leaders interviewed. They aren’t politicians. They said that we do not leave our troops behind. Anyone who commits a crime while in the military will be investigated. If any crimes are committed then a trial will follow.

          • Have you served this Country in a Military uniform? Never Mind, you haven’t. WE didn’t leave this treasonous POS behind. He deserted his infantry outfit while on watch during wartime. That’s Desertion Why is this bastard still alive after being “captured” by muslim terrorist? Good Question, huh? Because he switched sides, he collaborated, that’s why. That is treason. Obuma traded FIVE of the most dangerous, violent terrorists known to man for this POS? And just so you know, sometimes those “trials” are held on a battlefield and the jury is his peers that were deserted. So he’s likely fortunate that those troops that were searching were unable to locate him. Of which several were killed,

      • They don’t need to take power away from the president. They just have to make sure that he doesn’t take power away from the Congress and the Courts. He breaks laws at will, and the Congress needs to stop him.

        • No Republican is charging The President with a crime. Congress is miffed because they weren’t given notice.

      • present-dent Oblamer has already violated existing constitutional limits and existing law multiple times. Nice try though Laboob.

        • John Bellinger, who served as a national security adviser to
          President George W. Bush, said in a Fox News interview Tuesday that he believed Obama did the right thing in its recovery of Bergdahl. He noted that because the war in Afghanistan is winding down — U.S. troops will be out by the end of 2016 — the administration would have had to release the five detainees soon anyway.

          “Sometime in the next couple of years, whether it’s in the beginning of 2015 or shortly thereafter, this conflict in Afghanistan is winding down, and we would be required, at least under the traditional laws of war, to return people that we’ve detained in that conflict,” he said. “So it seems in this case, we’ve gotten — we traded them for reasonable deal
          here.”

          http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/bowe-bergdahl-release_n_5439644.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

          • Those terrorists should have already been tried before a Military Tribunal and sentenced to death. Obuma has not allowed the Military to move forward on this, Obviously. The terrorists are war criminals and should be tried as such.

      • Yes it can. I doubt he would sign it. And even if he did he would break it. Who needs laws in a banana republic?

      • The only way Congress can take power away from the President is through a Constitutional amendment. But since the President does not have the power to do the things he has been doing, Congress does have the power to Impeach him for breaking his Oath of Office.

    • Republican leadership in Congress knew about that soldier as far back as 2011. They knew about the 5 detainees in question. That’s why you’re not hearing Republicans ranting about impeachment. Their objection is that they weren’t notified in advance.

      If you took some time to listen to current and former military people it becomes clear how these exchanges work. I’ve been watching and listening to them – not the politicians. Those guests explained the machinations of winding down a war and exchanging POWS. Obama wants that war finished by the end of the year.

      Military guests stressed that they don’t leave their own behind. If a soldier was engaged in crimes, then that soldier will face a trial – at home.

      • I’m sure President Obama is oh, so grateful that you cover his back and defend his every move…

        But seriously… in this case, BHO had a moral obligation that he deemed insignificant (didya notice… he does that often – I suppose because he’s so smart and doesn’t need advice or agreement from anyone). Regardless of what the repubs knew, it was law (his law btw) that he inform congress before he made the deal. But hey… we’re talking about BHO here… laws don’t hold him back from doing what he wants to do.

        We are talking about exchanging one AWOL soldier for 5 high level Taliban leaders. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES do you negotiate with the enemy… NONE!

        Laws really don’t apply to Barrack Obama, I guess…

        • He was NOT an AWOL soldier. he’s a deserter. Huge difference. And I agree Completely about negotiating with Terrorists.

          • According to Military Regulations: AWOL means a member is Absent WithOut Leave and has intent to Eventually return to his unit. But if that member is absent more than 30 days, that member is declared a deserter. Which means that according to the regulation, that is grounds to believe the member has No Intent to return to their Unit or Command.

      • Keep Drinking that cool aid. I don’t give a rats ass when “They” knew about when he deserted. Congress was NOT given 30 days notice, nor ANY notice for that matter. Obuma admitted that and gave another weak excuse that only YOU would believe. So you should get off the MSNBC bandwagon. No Military branch leaves REAL POW’s Or wounded comrades behind. Maybe you should “Listen” to better sources.

    • Obama said, “I’m the president, I can do anything I want to.”
      All we have in Washington are mouths. Courage belongs to
      the past comrade, this is the new frontier so unless a few
      thousand ounces of lead are spent learn to live with it. Thank
      God I’m on my way out.

  2. Obama keeps breaking the law and congress does nothing about it! Impeach the worthless bass turd and then try him for treason.

      • Overriding Congress instead of going through the proper Constitutional process MANY times. He has used the IRS to “punish his enemies and reward his friends”. He ordered criminal investigations of FOX News reporters for doing their jobs during the 2012 election year. He has refused to enforce U.S. Immigration law, and he has sued a U.S. state for passing a law that would enforce those laws. Obama has refused to build a double-barrier security fence along the
        U.S.-Mexican border in direct violation of the 2006 Secure Fence Act. President Obama issued, in one day, 21 separate Executive Orders that
        attack and undermine your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. He has issued mandates in Obamacare law that force people to violate their religion (except, of course, Muslims). Forcing Obamacare down our throats with lies like, “If you like your doctor, you can keep him”, and “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it”. Operation Fast and Furious. Regulated the Internet despite a court order from the Circuit Court of
        Appeals for Washington, D.C. stating that the FCC does not have the
        power to regulate the Internet.”
        Imposed Cross-State Air Pollution Rules on the state of Texas at the
        last minute and without an opportunity for Texas to respond to the
        proposed regulation. Rejected state voter ID statutes that are similar to those already approved by the Supreme Court of the United States.Made “recess appointments” to the National Labor Relations Board and
        Consumer Financial Protection Bureau when Congress was NOT in recess.

        I could go on, but I think I make my case.

  3. Look,Presbo Kenya IS a muslim first! He want to close Gitmo. He’s made no secret of that. He has a total disdain for the American military and America as a whole . So,the Presbo Regime feels embolden to do what they please without fear. The House doesn’t have the balls to stop him. The Senate,they encourage him. That WILL change after the November elections !

  4. The answer is…….. Because he could.

    He breaks laws like I break my toast for breakfast, no thought is given at all about whether it is legal.

  5. Was her brand of sensitivity challenged and then stepped on? Evidently! See what happens to people who choose the wrong side of history! Evil destroys evil! Playing games with the boss can get you strapped!

  6. He just figgered out how to help his muslummms friends in the white house with him. He let 6 muslumms go. Do you think the traitor will now use the bomb on us. Lets hope he gets jail now for turning on his country dureing was

  7. 5 Taliban killers and leaders for one scumbag deserter. Some fine negotiating by present-dent Bumbling Barry and John Kerry.

    • You should watch, listen and learn from military leaders and former military people. That’s what I did. You would learn about swapping POWS. Then there’s steps to winding down a war. You would also learn that the military does not leave their soldiers behind if they can help it. You do NOT leave them behind. Military justice takes care of those who commit crimes in their ranks.

  8. He didn’t inform congress (as he signed a law requiring himself to do) because he knew that most in congress would object. He also knows that his republican “opposition” is too weak-minded to do anything about it. They will instead whine that they only control the most powerful portion of the federal government.

  9. The President should meet with Congressional leaders and let them know what’s going on. Obama has broke no laws. If he did Lyndsay Graham and others would be leading the charge.

    • Didn’t realize you are an expert in Constitutional law and its application in illegal Executive actions made with a pen and a phone.

  10. Hypocritical GOP is baiting the base with faux outrage.

    “In April, Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), introduced a resolution “to express the sense of the Senate that no member of the armed forces who is missing in action or captured should be left behind.”

    “Sen. James Risch (R), who represents Bergdahl’s home state of Idaho, declined to criticize the Obama administration during an interview with the Idaho Statesman, saying it was not the right time for such comments. “There will be time to delve into those matters,” he said. He also said that members of the Intelligence Committee, on which he serves, were constantly updated on Bergdahl’s whereabouts.”

    “There wasn’t a week that went by that we didn’t get a briefing,” he added.

    “GOP Urged White House To ‘Do All It Can’ To Get Bowe Bergdahl”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/bowe-bergdahl-release_n_5439644.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

  11. 202-456-1414 White House switchboard to demand our PATRIOTIC soldier be safely returned immediately to the United States.
    Remember Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi +-

  12. In honor, and out of respect for all American Soldiers who have died, serving their Country Gallantry and Honorably, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl deserves to spend the rest of his life at the USP at Ft. Leavenworth, doing hard labor.
    There were 8 sodiers killed – not 6 – that died searching for him after his desertion on June 30/2009 – These soldiers’ families deserve an honorable closure to the pain of the loveones they lost!
    GOD PROTECT OUR ARMED FORCES!
    Samper Fidelis

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