Gitmo adviser: Holder allowed Pentagon to break law, bypass Congress to swap 5 terrorists for U.S. Army deserter

Impeach or arrest them all. And rid the Pentagon of those who continue to break the oath they took.

President Barack Obama Gives a Statement Regarding The Release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl by The Taliban

via Guantanamo adviser: DOJ allowed Pentagon to bypass Congress in Taliban-Bergdahl swap

Eric Holder’s Justice Department green-lighted the decision not to notify Congress — as required by law — before the Pentagon traded five Taliban fighters for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl last year, the Obama administration’s point person on Guantanamo Bay policy testified Thursday.

Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee, defense official Brian McKeon was questioned on what is still a sore spot for many members of Congress: that the administration went forward with the Taliban-Bergdahl swap without giving Congress the typically required 30-day notification.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asked McKeon why Congress was not informed, “as per the statutes.”

McKeon said he understands the Department of Justice and the department’s general counsel “interpreted the president’s powers because of the security risks and safety of Sergeant Bergdahl necessitated proceeding without the 30-day notice.”

The rationale squares with what administration officials claimed last year — that congressional notification could have risked jeopardizing the fast-moving negotiations to secure Bergdahl’s freedom.

But lawmakers have challenged that call ever since.

Meanwhile, McKeon made clear at Thursday’s hearing that the push to close Guantanamo Bay’s prison camp is moving forward, despite lawmakers’ lingering security concerns — most recently, over a member of the “Taliban 5″ apparently trying to make contact with the Taliban, while under supervision in Qatar.

McKeon stressed that the administration considers it a national security priority to close the camp, in part because it is used by extremists to incite violence.

He pointed to the recent execution of Jordanian and Japanese hostages by Islamic State terrorists. He said it is “no coincidence” that the videos showed the victims — one of whom was burned alive, the other of whom was beheaded — in orange jumpsuits, like those once worn by detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Such jumpsuits were also worn at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Republicans, though, argue that terrorists would find reasons to attack the West regardless, and certainly did so before Guantanamo was in operation.


That argument can be made and supported by historical facts. Muslims have been attempting to conquer the world for 1,400 years.

McKeon failed to mention that it’s no coincidence that what he refers to as extremist violence is carried out by Muslims in the name of Allah.

Bergdahl is one of them.

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Command Center to add comments!

Join Command Center