releases: http://hartzler.house.gov/blog/taliban-5-transfer-%E2%80%93-administration-broke-law
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://hartzler.house.gov/blog/taliban-5-transfer-%E2%80%93-administration-broke-law | The Taliban 5 Transfer the Administration Broke the Law | 2015-12-14 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Republican | House | MO | Vicky Hartzler | H001053 | hartzler.house.gov | legacy | You may recall the May, 2014, White House press conference when President Obama celebrated the secret release of five senior Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for the release of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. That deal was immediately met with criticism from Americans fearful of the repercussions of releasing dangerous terrorists. As Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Committees (HASC) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I headed the probe into the details of this transfer, joining HASC Chairman Mac Thornberry in releasing a report that concludes the Obama Administration violated the law. The law requires the Secretary of Defense to notify Congress not later than 30 days before the transfer or release of detainees from Guantanamo. This was not done, despite the fact we now know that prisoner swap negotiations between the United States and the Taliban had begun 102 days before the transfer. Congress and Pentagon officials best positioned to assess the national security risks were left out of the process, increasing the chances of dangerous consequences. What is even more disturbing are the decisions and plans to deliberately mislead Congress and the American people. After assuring Congress in late February of 2014 that press reports about a Taliban 5 detainee swap were not accurate, and despite promises to keep Congress informed, Department of Defense officials traveled to Doha to meet with Qatari officials about a swap, sought Department of Justice assistance to avoid legally-required Congressional notification, and prepared legal paperwork to facilitate the transfer. This ploy put our country at risk. The simple truth is that a review of the detainees at Guantanamo, ordered by President Obama, concluded the Taliban 5 were among a group of 48 detainees considered too dangerous to transfer. Despite what should have been a red flag, the transfer went forward. This report, while it involved extensive research, does not provide all the answers. There is still much about this transfer that the Obama Administration has withheld. What we know for sure is that federal law was broken and that the Administration will do what it believes is necessary to achieve its political goals. Putting the American people in jeopardy for any reason, especially political gain, is unacceptable. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |