"You've got to obey the laws, even if you're the president, even if it's inconvenient..." Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee on Fox News. Watch the full clip here.
"The five Taliban leaders, held at the military prison in Cuba, were informed that they were being released two days before the administration told Congress..." Los Angeles Times
"The report found that the Obama administration transferred the five fighters for Bergdahl’s release because it fulfilled one of the president’s campaign promises to close the facility. The report also argued that the five detainees transferred were too dangerous to be released." The Guardian
"The concerns voiced by committee Republicans in the review were underscored by reports that another former Guantanamo detainee—not part of the Taliban Five—may have since joined al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of the extremist organization." WSJ
"The lack of notification angered both Republican and Democratic lawmakers at the time. Critics of the swap also argued that it went against U.S. policy not to negotiate with terrorists, and could incentivize more hostage-taking." The Hill
"These are five of the most dangerous individuals that we had in Guantanamo Bay, and yet they were released, going around Congress, without us even being notified of the nature of their release, of if it posed a security threat to our nation, and whether the country who would be accepting them would be able to detain them and keep them from reengaging in the fight." - Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) on PBS Newshour
"But it was most critical of the Obama administration for not informing the committee of the "any of the specifics or contemplated courses of action" regarding the Guantanamo transfer and Mr Bergdahl's release." BBC News
"As if on cue, this week AQAP released a video titled "Guardians of Sharia" featuring Ibrahim Qosi, who cut a plea deal with the tribunal in 2010 and was released to Sudan in July 2012. Two years later, Qosi had joined AQAP and is now one of the leaders of the al-Qaeda branch in Yemen. In the video, a first-time appearance since his release from Gitmo, he stressed the importance of “individual jihad" against the United States." PJ Media
