A two-fer
First - congratulations to U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl who was released by the Taliban in exchange for five of their people from Gitmo.
From The Washington Post:
Bergdahl release arrangement could threaten the safety of Americans, Republicans say
Amid jubilation Saturday over the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from captivity by the Taliban, senior Republicans on Capitol Hill said they were troubled by the means by which it was accomplished, which was a deal to release five Afghan detainees from the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Top Republicans on the Senate and House armed services committees went so far as to accuse President Obama of having broken the law, which requires the administration to notify Congress before any transfers from Guantanamo are carried out.
A bit more:
The law requires the defense secretary to notify relevant congressional committees at least 30 days before making any transfers of prisoners, to explain the reason and to provide assurances that those released would not be in a position to reengage in activities that could threaten the United States or its interests.
Before the current law was enacted at the end of last year, the conditions were even more stringent. However, the administration and some Democrats had pressed for them to be loosened, in part to give them more flexibility to negotiate for Bergdahl’s release.
A senior administration official, agreeing to speak on the condition of anonymity to explain the timing of the congressional notification, acknowledged that the law was not followed. When he signed the law last year, Obama issued a signing statement contending that the notification requirement was an unconstitutional infringement on his powers as commander in chief and that he therefore could override it.
Emphasis mine - President Stompy Feet doing what he does best. Getting his own Imperial way. No sense having to work with those pesky other branches of the government. After all, l'etat c'est moi.
Second, all the while this was going on, this story has been languishing below the fold and nobody in State is doing anything about it.
From FOX News:
Jailed Marine's friend claims he was beaten, chained to bed in Mexican custody
A friend of the U.S. Marine being held in a Mexican prison on gun charges has compared his plight to that of a prisoner of war, telling Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren that Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi told him he had been beaten and chained to a bed by Mexican authorities.Mark Podlaski said on “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” he spoke with Tahmooressi on the phone last week from the prison where he is being held, and Tahmooressi told him “very disturbing details” about how he had been treated.
Tahmooressi was arrested March 31 after accidentally crossing the border with weapons in his vehicle.
Podlaski said Tahmooressi, whom he described as a “Marine’s Marine,” told him he was beaten with a bat and that the beating was so brutal, it dislocated Tahmooressi's jaw. Podlaski said his friend also told him he was stripped naked and chained to a bed.
Sgt. Tahmooressi was driving across the USA after being discharged. He had all of his possessions in his truck including legally owned firearms. He parked his truck in California and went across the border to Tijuana for the evening. Coming back, he was proceeding to his next destination, took the wrong turn and wound up past the Mexican border at the Mexican customs station. There was no sign and no way to turn around. The Mexican government has claimed otherwise but independent reporters have gone and photographed the road.
Nobody at State Department is lifting a finger. Disgusting.
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