Congress has feigned outrage that they were not told of the prisoner swap before it occurred, but now we know that they were not told for a fairly straightforward reason.
BREAKING: Officials: Congress not told of swap because Taliban threatened to kill Bergdahl if it leaked .
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 5, 2014
It’s not immediately clear why the Taliban wanted to keep the exchange secret, but it appears they were concerned that, if the exchange was leaked, it would be thwarted by more extreme members within their own ranks.
That sounds familiar.
It should be noted that the reason some members of Congress are upset about this is because language they inserted into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was inserted specifically because they wish to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba open.
The Obama administration has sought to close the prison since the day he took office and signed an executive to do so, but Congress has repeatedly voted to delay or prohibit closure.
As recently as yesterday Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) threatened to impeach the president if he attempts to close the prison.