Note: You might want to start at the Barack
Obama Index Page, especially
if you arrived here by using a search engine.
President Barack H. Obama announced on May 31, 2014, that he had (without consulting
the Congress, as required by law) traded five of the
most notorious terrorists from the Guantánamo Bay detention facility for the return
of a U.S. Army deserter named Bowe Bergdahl. Apparently Mr. Obama thought
this would be met with a hearty round of applause, and take some of
the newsmedia
focus off the Benghazi scandal and
the VA hospital scandal
and the slaughter of the coal
industry (and the rest of the U.S. economy) by
the EPA. But it didn't work out
that way; instead, Mr. Obama, in his eagerness to close the Guantánamo prison by
whatever means necessary, and the urgent need to manipulate the media, and his
notorious love for Islam, has generated yet another scandal.
President Obama certainly shows a lot of favor
toward Islam, and this latest move is one more way to appease his Muslim base. After looking at
empirical and anecdotal evidence — Barack Obama's actions and words, and the claims
of his siblings — I am convinced that Mr. Obama is a Muslim himself. Most of the
articles I've seen that would support such a conclusion are
posted here.
Overview and recap: Sorry,
Brittney Griner Isn't Worth an International Terrorist. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his base on
June 29, 2009, and was captured the next day. Bergdahl deserted. In the ensuing search, six soldiers
died trying to get him back. On May 31, 2014, the twice-promoted Bergdahl was exchanged for f ive terrorists
and returned to the United States. President Obama in announcing the prisoner exchange with terrorists said, in
part: ["]Today the American people are pleased that we will be able to welcome home Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl,
held captive for nearly five years. On behalf of the American people, I was honored to call his parents to express
our joy that they can expect his safe return, mindful of their courage and sacrifice throughout this
ordeal.["] In the Rose Garden, flanked by Bergdahl's mother and the father who encouraged Bergdahl to
desert, Obama said: "The United States of America does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind."
I'd agree, except Bergdahl stripped off his uniform when he deserted. I remember that day. I remember
feeling disgusted that we returned a deserter to his family in exchange for five terrorists. Maybe it would have
been worth the price had Bergdahl been captured fighting the Taliban or Al Qaida, but he wasn't. He was an
American-hating American who cost six, good American their lives trying to get him back. It was a shameful
day. Four of the five terrorists released are now in Afghanistan and officials in the terrorist regime. In
2017, Bergdahl pleads guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Incredibly Bergdahl filed a lawsuit in
2021 to have his sentence expunged.
Bowe
Bergdahl 2.0, Brought to You by the Obamunists, Yet Again. With the recent prisoner
exchange between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Americans better be on notice
that Iran is once again in the business of taking hostages for ransom. Any U.S. citizen
traveling to the Islamic Republic might want to rethink their travel plans. Truthfully, the
Iranian regime has been taking Americans hostage and holding them for ransom since the overthrow of
the Shah of Iran back in 1979. Unfortunately, contrary to America's long claimed official
policy of not paying ransom for hostages, with regards to Iran, every single time the United States
has acquiesced to Iranian demands in order to get our people back. I've always had a bone up
pick with Americans who continue to ignore State Department warnings not to travel to certain
countries because they are unstable, or that they are a terrorist regime like Iran that poses a
threat to American citizens. Yet for some reason Americans continue to ignore these warnings
and travel to dangerous parts of the world only to find themselves in a jam, and then they expect
the U.S. government to spring them out.
Federal
Judge Overturns Conviction of Army Deserter Bowe Bergdahl. A federal judge has
overturned the 2017 desertion conviction of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, claiming he did not
receive a fair trial. The military judge in the case did not disclose that he had applied
with the Justice Department to be an immigration judge after he retired. Bergdahl received a
dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank, and forfeiture of $10,000 in pay in 2017 after becoming
the sole U.S. service member to be captured in Afghanistan shortly after he left his post in June
2009. President Barack Obama exchanged Bergdahl for five noted Taliban terrorists, calling the
deserter a "hero" in a Rose Garden ceremony. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton rejected
Bergdahl's claim that Donald Trump, who was president at the time of his trial, unlawfully
influenced the trial by calling the deserter a "dirty rotten traitor." Sen. John McCain
also commented on the Bergdahl case, referring to him as "clearly a deserter."
U.S.
Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl's convictions thrown out by federal judge. Convicted U.S.
Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl's convictions for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy were
vacated by a federal judge on Tuesday [7/25/2023] over a technicality. U.S. District Judge
Reggie Walton ruled that the military judge who'd presided over Bergdahl's case, Judge Jeffrey
Nance, had failed to disclose that he'd applied for an executive branch job as an immigration judge
in the Trump administration, according to Fox News. This constitutes a possible conflict of
interest, Watson argued, because of negative remarks then-GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump
had made about Bergdahl prior to Nance later applying for a position within his administration.
4
prisoners Obama exchanged for Bowe Berghdahl [are] now in senior Taliban posts. Four out of five Guantanamo
detainees whom former President Barack Obama released in exchange for former U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in 2014 now
hold senior positions in the interim government created by the Taliban in Afghanistan. According to the Afghan
television network TOLOnews, the Taliban-formed government gave leadership positions to Khairullah Khairkhwa, Norullah Noori,
Abdul Haq Wasiq, and Mohammad Fazl; all of whom were released in a 2014 deal between the Obama administration and the Taliban
to free Bergdahl, whom the Taliban had held as a prisoner since 2009. On Tuesday, the Taliban announced that Khairkhwa
would serve as acting minister for information and culture, Noori would serve as acting minister of borders and tribal
affairs, Wasiq would serve as acting director of intelligence, and Fazl would serve as deputy defense minister.
Top
military appeals court rejects Bowe Bergdahl's claim Trump prevented him from getting fair trial. The U.S.
military's top appellate court on Friday [8/28/2020] rejected a legal challenge made by former Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
over his court-martial conviction for deserting his post in Afghanistan. Bergdahl's lawyers argued that repeated
comments made by President Trump — both while he was a presidential candidate in 2016 and then later as commander
in chief, when he repeatedly ridiculed Bergdahl — prevented the ex-soldier from receiving a fair trial.
Trump has referred to Bergdahl as a "traitor" and even suggested he be shot or thrown from a plane without a parachute.
Susan
Rice, Biden VP Finalist, Said Bowe Bergdahl Served 'With Honor And Distinction'. [Bowe] Bergdahl infamously
walked off his Army post in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was then captured and held hostage by a Taliban-aligned group for
nearly five years. Former President Barack Obama's administration secured Bergdahl's release on May 31, 2014 as part of
a prisoner swap for five members of the Taliban. [Former National Security Adviser Susan] Rice defended Bergdahl's record
in a June 1, 2014 ABC News interview, after she was asked if Bergdahl should be punished for deserting. "He is going to
be safely reunited with his family. He served the United States with honor and distinction," Rice answered.
Seven
Times the GAO Found the Obama Administration Violated Federal Law. [#3] The Department of Defense was found to
have violated the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2014 and the Antideficiency Act in the infamous Bowe Bergdahl
swap, when President Barack Obama traded five high-level Taliban detainees for a U.S. Army deserter. The administration
transferred the five Taliban from Guantanamo Bay without notifying relevant congressional committees 30 days in advance, as
required by law. Republicans complained; Democrats were silent.
Master
Sgt. Mark Allen dies 10 years after being shot while searching for Army deserter. Retired Army Master Sgt. Mark
Allen died on Saturday [10/12/2019], 10 years after he was shot while looking for a missing soldier in Afghanistan back in 2009.
He was 46. Allen was unable to walk or speak since being shot in the head by a sniper in July 2009 during his attempted search for
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off his base in Afghanistan and was imprisoned by the Taliban for five years.
Squeaky clean, huh? Obama forgot about
these 25 scandals. [#9] Swapping Taliban leaders for Bergdahl: In May 2014, the Obama administration
swapped five Taliban commanders previously detained in Guantanamo Bay for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has since been charged
with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The deal triggered a deep level of disgust by Americans for
Obama. A WND/Wenzel Poll at the time showed 54 percent of Americans said Obama's swap for Bergdahl amounted to
providing aid to terrorists.
Reporting
for duty again. Remember the five Gitmo terrorists exchanged for U.S. Army sgt. Bowe Bergdahl? It
turns out that all five are reporting back to duty, according to the AP.
Five
top Taliban officers released from Gitmo for Bowe Bergdahl join Qatar office, says Taliban. Five former
Guantanamo Bay prisoners, senior members of the Afghan Taliban who were freed in exchange for former Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl in 2014, have reportedly joined one of the Taliban's political offices in the Middle East. The "Taliban Five"
have joined the group's political office in Qatar, according to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the Associated Press
reported Tuesday [10/30/2018]. The five men will apparently be a part of the group that tries to negotiate peace in
Afghanistan.
6 times Obama
committed "treason" against the U.S.. [#1] Trading 5 terrorists for an army deserter: In 2014, Obama
traded 5 mid- to high-level detainees in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. soldier captured in Afghanistan. Obama
threw a huge press conference, wrapped his arm around Bergdahl and called the trade a huge victory. Then the truth came
out: Bergdahl was a deserter captured after he went AWOL. His brothers sustained major casualties trying to rescue
him. One got a serious head wound, and another had to learn to write and brush his teeth all over again after he got
his thumb blown off.
Report:
Obama Admin 'Shelved' Plan to Prosecute Taliban Heroin Traffickers. The Obama administration, citing "political
concerns" in 2013, derailed a plan to prosecute Taliban drug kingpins in U.S. courts that could have curtailed unprecedented
heroin operations in Afghanistan that fueled the deadly opioid crisis across the United States, a Politico
investigation found. Identified as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
legal advisers at the time, the authors of the plan, code-named Operation Reciprocity, told Politico, "The real
reason it was shut down was fears it would jeopardize the administration's efforts to engage the Taliban in peace talks and
still-secret prisoner swap negotiations involving U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl."
Bergdahl's
Attorney Wants Him to Receive POW Medal. The lead defense attorney for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl said he
wants him to receive the Prisoner of War medal. His civilian lawyer, Eugene Fidell, on Friday said his client should be
recognized for the five years he spent in Taliban captivity after deserting his post in Afghanistan, according to an article
by USA Today. "We have long felt he was entitled to the POW medal," Fidell said, the newspaper reported.
Bergdahl
goes free, but the wounded serve life sentences. Attention, all troops peeved with your platoon sergeant, bored
with your field rations, or who just want a little private time: It's okay to desert your post in a combat zone.
It's fine for you to trigger the deaths and grave woundings of better men than you. A military judge just set a
precedent: Deserters in wartime walk free. You'll probably get a book deal, too, and be portrayed as a hero in a
big-budget film. The US Army colonel and judge who decided Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's fate has some explaining to
do. How is it that a confessed deserter, whose actions brought our Afghan campaign to a halt and led to the acknowledged
wounding and alleged deaths of his comrades, can walk out of a military courtroom a free man? With not one day of prison
time? How is that possible?
Disgrace!
Bowe Bergdahl Will Not Serve Any Prison Time For Deserting. What a complete and total disgrace. Deserter Bowe Bergdahl who
walked into the open arms of the terrorist Taliban group will see NO jail time for his desertion, which lead to the killing of at least 6
American soldiers. The Obama scum are still scattered around, even military judges. Justice is supposed to be blind. But Obama's
buddy Bergdahl gets off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Hillary Clinton still isn't being investigated, Harvey Weinstein and pedo
Kevin Spacey haven't been taken into custody by the police and the Podesta brothers are still free "men."
Traitor/Deserter
Bowe Bergdahl gets NO JAIL TIME, just a dishonorable discharge. More than eight years after Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked off
his base in Afghanistan to look for the Taliban — Bergdahl walked out of a North Carolina courtroom a free man on Friday [11/3/2017].
Bergdahl, who pleaded guilty to endangering his comrades, was fined, reduced in rank to E1 and dishonorably discharged — but he received
no prison time.
Judge
Spits in Slain Soldiers' Faces, Gives Bergdahl No Jail Time. Military judge Col. Jeffery R. Nance has made good
on his promise to take President Trump's harsh criticism of disgraced U.S. Army member Bowe Bergdahl as "mitigating evidence" in his
sentencing. Today he ruled that Bergdahl would receive a $10,000 fine, dishonorable discharge, and a reduction in his rank from
Sergeant to Private. That means no jail time. None. Not a second to be spent in prison for abandoning his fellow
soldiers by leaving his post in 2009, walking into Taliban territory, being captured and costing the lives of at least six American
soldiers who came to find and rescue him.
Bergdahl Skates. The judge in this case, Army Colonel Jeffery R.
Nance, ruled Friday [11/3/2017] that Bergdahl, who pleaded guilty October 16 to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, will receive a dishonorable
discharge. He was also reduced in rank to private and will be required to pay $1,000 a month from his salary over the next 10 months. (This
part is confusing. If Bergdahl is to be discharged from the Army, what salary is the judge talking about?) The desertion charge carried the
potential of a life sentence. As it is, Bergdahl will spend less time behind bars than Martha Stewart did. And she didn't get anybody shot
coming after her.
Bowe
Bergdahl wasn't a victim, he's a traitor. Several factors may account for the Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's
seemingly light sentence Friday [11/3/2017] of a dishonorable discharge but no prison time for leaving his post in Afghanistan
in 2009. He faced a possible sentence of up to life in prison for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
I am one of many who believe Bergdahl was guilty of the higher crime of treason. However, six factors seem to have played
a role in prompting Army Col. Jeffrey Nance, the judge in his case, to let Bergdahl off without prison time.
Bergdahl
dishonorably discharged, no jail time after emotional trial. President Trump tweeted Friday that Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's sentence — a dishonorable discharge, but no prison time for leaving his post in June
2009 — was a "complete and total disgrace." More than eight years after Bergdahl walked off his base in
Afghanistan — and unwittingly into the clutches of the Taliban — Bergdahl walked out of a North
Carolina courtroom a free man Friday. Bergdahl, who pleaded guilty to endangering his comrades, was fined, reduced in
rank to E1 and dishonorably discharged — but he received no prison time.
Bowe
Bergdahl avoids prison for desertion. Bowe Bergdahl will not have to serve jail time for desertion. In a
stunning announcement on Friday [11/3/2017], the judge deciding the case demoted Bergdahl to the rank of private,
dishonorably discharged him and ordered him to pay $1,000 from his paycheck for the next 10 months. The judge made no
other comments in his ruling. The decision was considerably merciful compared to the 14 years in prison that
prosecutors had asked the judge to order. Several soldiers were injured in the search for Bergdahl, after he deserted
his post in Afghanistan in June 2009. He was subsequently captured by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.
Trump
calls Bowe Bergdahl verdict 'a complete and total disgrace'. President Donald Trump says that the decision not
to send Bowe Bergdahl to prison is a "complete and total disgrace". "The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and
total disgrace to our Country and to our Military," Mr Trump tweeted while on Air Force One, reacting to the news that a
military judge had let Bergdahl walk free after deserting his post in Afghanistan. Sgt Bergdahl pleaded guilty to
charges of desertion and misbehaviour last month, saying that Mr Trump's past comments on his case had made it impossible
for him to receive a fair trial.
Bowe
Bergdahl Apologizes to Service Members Wounded While Searching for Him. During his sentencing hearing on Monday
[10/30/2017], Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl apologized to those wounded while searching for him after he deserted the United States
military in Afghanistan. "My words alone can't take away their pain," Bergdahl said, according to Fox News.
Bergdahl pleaded guilty to deserting the military in 2009 and faces the prospect of life in prison.
Military Justice for Bergdahl.
Eight years ago Army Private Bowe Bergdahl was stationed in Afghanistan. He didn't like his fellow soldiers, his
commanding officer, or pretty much anything about his circumstances. So he planned to change them. Bergdahl
reportedly gave away his equipment, mailed his laptop to his parents in the U.S., and deserted his post. He was
captured and held by the Taliban for five years. The Taliban aren't dummies. They knew — as did the
whole world — that then-president Obama was desperate to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba. Obama didn't care much about how Gitmo was emptied, just as long as it was. So in 2014 the Taliban proposed
a prisoner swap.
Why We
All Hate Lawyers. Recently President Trump commented on the Bowe Bergdahl case — the guy who
deserted in combat and thereby caused Americans to be seriously wounded trying to rescue him because he didn't have the guts
to leave a note saying he deserted. Lawyers, including conservatives at National Review, are now declaring that
the President can't comment on an unclassified matter of national importance because he might keep a traitor from getting a
fair trial. In a sense they're right, but they don't realize why.
The six
men who died in search of Bergdahl. This is a simple from-the-heart post about the six U.S. Soldiers who died
some eight years ago trying to find one of their own. Or maybe they knew better, but they still tried, because it was
in them to never leave a comrade behind. For that alone, this post is for them. The content that is presented
here is nearly verbatim text, pulled from other links, as indicated. The focus is on recollections from family and
friends, how they remember their fallen loved ones. The thought here is recent news developments add to the burden
these six Gold Star families carry, one that began with the dreaded knock on the door in 2009 to five years later when new
light was shed on the circumstances of each U.S. Soldier's death.
Bergdahl
sentencing isn't about him — It's about setting an example for any future traitors. The sentence the
military judge will impose on Tali-Bowe Bergdahl isn't about one self-centered deserter. It's about our national
defense. The judge's decision will decide the state of discipline on battlefields for decades to come. Bergdahl
has been charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. He has pleaded guilty to both charges. There
are no mitigating circumstances. He must be punished, for his crimes and to make an example of him.
A
soldier's perspective on Bergdahl. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and
misbehavior before the enemy, will soon face sentencing, bringing him and the Army one step closer to legally resolving the
chain of events that started when Sergeant Bergdahl walked away from his unit in Afghanistan in 2009. He was captured and
held as a hostage for five years; six soldiers died looking for him, according to some accounts. Sergeant Bergdahl's
case has faced politicization from both sides of the aisle. Those speaking the loudest publicly about it have
overlooked the consequences that his actions had on the unit he abandoned.
Soldiers
Forced To Sign Non-Disclosure Agreements On Bergdahl. [Scroll down] But then we fast forward to that
Obama press conference and Bergdahl's father getting his, "Allahu Akbar" on. The writer of the article views that as an
attempt to compensate for the VA scandal. I'm sure that didn't hurt. But it seemed as if Bergdahl and his father
were rather sympatico with Obama's worldview. Obama showed rather little interest in some American hostages. But
Bergdahl remained a major priority. Not only did his release allow Obama to free more Islamic terrorists from Gitmo (a
majority priority for his administration to the extent that he fired one Secretary of Defense and terrorized another for not
going along quickly enough) but it allowed him to parade collaborators as heroes. And that's the core of the cover-up.
Ex-Navy
SEAL tears up recalling dog killed on Bergdahl hunt. A ex-Navy SEAL broke down and cried on the witness stand
Wednesday as he testified about a military dog killed on a mission to find Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who deserted his
post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years. The SEAL, who suffered a career-ending injury during
that mission, testified at the sentencing hearing for Bergdahl, who pleaded guilty last week to desertion and endangering his
comrades. He faces up to life in prison. As the hearing got underway, an Army judge said he was still considering
a motion by the defense to dismiss the case.
Bowe
Bergdahl's last-minute 'Hail Mary' should be dead on arrival. While Bergdahl faces a potential life sentence,
the death penalty is off the table. That's because, for unknown reasons, prosecutors charged Bergdahl as if he deserted
during peacetime. Nothing could be further from the truth. He deserted, under suspicious circumstances, in
war-torn Afghanistan and quickly became a Taliban captive. Fellow soldiers risked their lives and spent years searching
for him. The search missions came with a high price-tag. One soldier was shot in the head and is forever
wheelchair bound as a result.
Bowe
Bergdahl deal compromised US national security and President Obama should be held accountable. The admission is
in; the sentence awaits us. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl admitted deserting his Afghan post and endangering fellow
troops. By all accounts this is the most serious betrayal of presidential authority in my life time. In 2014
President Obama attempted to cover Bergdahl with the achievement of a war hero, even inviting his Idaho based parents to the
Rose Garden to celebrate news of his release. President Obama pointed out at the time that five Taliban leaders were
freed from Guantanamo so that Bergdahl could be released from captivity. To gild the lily, National Security Adviser,
Susan Rice, said Bergdahl served "the United States with honor and distinction."
Dramatic
Sentencing Hearing Expected in Bergdahl Case. A sentencing hearing for Bergdahl starts Monday [10/23/2017] at Fort Bragg and
is expected to feature dramatic testimony about soldiers and a Navy SEAL badly hurt while they searched for the missing Bergdahl, who was
held captive for five years by Taliban allies after leaving his post.
Deserter
Bergdahl says Taliban more 'honest' than US Army. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army sergeant who pleaded guilty Monday [10/16/2017]
to deserting his post in Afghanistan in 2009, says his Taliban captors were more "honest" with him than the Army has been since his release
three years ago.
Why
the Army Can't Forgive Bowe Bergdahl and May Lock Him Up for Life. When Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl left
Observation Post Mest in Paktika province in 2009, the Afghan War stopped. The U.S. Army had a DUSTWUN —
"duty status whereabouts unknown" — for the first time in recent memory. A soldier was missing and had to be
found. Operations were canceled as every American in the country focused on Bergdahl's rescue.
The Deserter
Honored in the Rose Garden. On Monday [10/16/2017] Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and
misbehavior before the enemy. He will be sentenced next week. To all but a mendacious Administration and its
accomplices among the court eunuchs of the Obama media, the truth about this man was obvious from the day of his release by
the Taliban three-and-a-half years ago.
Deal for
Bowe Bergdahl looks worse and worse. On Monday [10/16/2017], Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl admitted deserting
his Afghan post as well as misbehaving before the enemy and endangering fellow troops, confirming the betrayal several
veterans who served alongside him have alleged for years. Though capital punishment is not in the offing, he does face
life in prison at his sentencing later this month. Bergdahl's plea sets up a pre-sentence trial starting Oct. 23 at
Fort Bragg that's expected to include dramatic testimony about three troops seriously injured during search-and-rescue
missions launched to find him. Two of them suffered disabling injuries: Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Mark
Allen, who in 2009 was shot in the head searching for Bergdahl, leaving him confined to a wheelchair and unable to talk; and
Navy SEAL Jimmy Hatch, who was shot in the leg on another search the next day, leaving him with a permanent limp.
Analyst:
Time to Send the Taliban Five Back to Gitmo Now that Bergdahl's Pleaded Guilty. The soldier who former national
security adviser Susan Rice once claimed "served with honor and distinction" today pleaded guilty to desertion and
misbehavior before the enemy. Bowe Bergdahl is now facing a maximum penalty of life in prison. [...] The Obama
administration in 2014 portrayed Bergdahl as a long-suffering hero who had served his country well. President Barack
Obama released five top Taliban commanders — some of whom had committed war crimes; all of whom were deemed to be
a risk to Americans — to Qatar in exchange for the deserter, bringing him home on May 31, 2014. In doing so, Obama
broke a law that requires congressional notification of such a trade.
Nets
Forget Obama Admin Championed Bergdahl as a 'Hero' Coming Home. In a military courtroom in Ft. Bragg,
North Carolina on Monday [10/16/2017], Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior before
the enemy and faces up to life in prison. Back in 2014, President Obama traded five dangerous terrorists to get
Bergdahl back. And in a flawed political calculation, the administration championed him as a 'hero.' But considering
the massive blowback that followed the ill-advised move, the Big Three Networks omitted that from their Monday evening reports.
Bowe
Bergdahl pleads guilty in desertion case. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty Monday at Fort Bragg to
charges he endangered comrades by walking away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009 — the court case wrapping up
three years after a stunning Rose Garden spectacle in which former President Barack Obama, flanked by Bergdahl's parents,
triumphantly announced the soldier's release from captivity.
Bowe
Bergdahl Pleads Guilty To Everything. It looks like reality finally set in and Bowe Bergdahl realized that even
though his hippie old man got a chance to spout off in Pashto in the Rose Garden. [...] Not only did Obama decline to issue
him a pardon, a military judge ruled that if he is found guilty that soldiers wounded while searching for him will be allowed
to testify about the impact of those wounds on their lives.
Bowe
Bergdahl to Plead Guilty to Abandoning His Post. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will plead guilty to charges of
desertion and misbehavior before the enemy later this month; avoiding a prolonged trial over allegations he voluntarily
abandoned his post while fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan back in 2009. According to Fox News, Bergdahl plans
to submit his guilty plea in the coming weeks, with sentencing expected to start on October 23rd. The veteran faces
five years imprisonment for desertion and a possible life sentence for his misbehavior charge. The 31-year-old Sergeant
was the center of a media firestorm in 2014, when former President Barack Obama negotiated his release after being held captive
by Taliban forces for nearly five years.
Bowe
Bergdahl expected to plead guilty to deserting his post: AP. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is expected to plead guilty later
this month to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy rather than face trial for leaving his Afghanistan post in 2009, The Associated Press
reported. Two sources said the Idaho native would submit the plea later this month and sentencing would start Oct. 23. The
AP did not name the sources. Bergdahl's lawyer declined to comment when contacted by Fox News. He faces up to five years in prison
on the desertion charge and a life sentence for misbehavior.
Searchers'
injuries can be considered at Bergdahl sentencing, if convicted. Serious wounds to a soldier and a Navy SEAL
who searched for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl can be used at the sentencing phase of his upcoming trial, a judge ruled
Friday [7/7/2017], giving prosecutors significant leverage to pursue stiff punishment against the soldier.
Bowe
Bergdahl's lawyers want to know if potential jurors voted for Trump. Attorneys for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
want to ask potential jurors in a court-martial for their views on President Trump and whether they voted for him, according
to news reports Wednesday [6/21/2017]. At a pretrial hearing Wednesday, Berdahl's lawyers submitted the questions to
the judge in the case, out of concern that jurors may be swayed by negative comments Trump made in the presidential campaign
about the soldier.
Military
Judge Sets Trial Date For Bowe Bergdahl. Military judge Army Col. Jeffery Nance has set an October trial
date for Bowe Bergdahl, who stands accused of deserting his unit in Afghanistan back in 2009. After three unsuccessful
tries at setting a date, Nance declared jury selection will begin on Oct. 16, which will be followed shortly by a firm trial
date of Oct. 23, the Associated Press reports. "I'm getting a little gun-shy about setting trial dates," Nance joked.
You Gotta
Lie. Aside from the useful publicity of "bringing home" an American hostage, there was an implicit progressive subtext to both his
earlier flight and eventual return: Young introspective soldiers are often troubled about their nation's ambiguous role in the Middle East
and so, understandably, sometimes err in their search for meaning. When they do, and when they perhaps "wander off," the government has
win-win resources to address their temporary lapse — in this case, killing two birds with one stone by downsizing the apparently repulsive
Guantanamo Bay detention facility and returning punished-enough Taliban combatants to their families. What Susan Rice (ostensibly the go-to
consigliere in such deals) could not say is that the Obama administration released five dangerous terrorists in order to bring home one likely
deserter, whose selfish AWOL behavior may have contributed over the years to the injury or even deaths of several American soldiers tasked with
finding him. Instead, we got the lie that Bergdahl was a brave solider who served with honor and distinction and was captured in mediis
rebus on the battlefield, with the implication that his personal odyssey inadvertently led to the bonus of returning in-limbo foreign detainees
and reducing the population of an embarrassing gulag.
Judge
refuses to dismiss Bowe Bergdahl case because Trump called him a traitor. President Donald Trump's campaign-trail criticism of
Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, while 'problematic,' hasn't prevented the soldier from getting a fair trial on charges that he endangered comrades by
walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009, a military judge ruled Friday [2/24/2017]. Bergdahl's lawyers had argued that Trump
violated their client's due-process rights by repeatedly calling him a 'traitor' and that the judge should dismiss charges of desertion and
misbehavior before the enemy. One occasion took place in August 2015, when Trump called Bergdahl 'a dirty rotten traitor' while
speaking to a New Hampshire crowd.
Judge
Questions Effect of Trump Comments on Bowe Bergdahl Case. A military judge called President Donald Trump's
scathing campaign-trail criticism of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl "disturbing" on Monday and questioned whether it would
make the public think the soldier can't get a fair trial for walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.
Bergdahl
Not on Obama's December Pardon List. President Barack Obama has granted 78 people pre-Christmas pardons, more than doubling
the amount allowed during his eight-year tenure. But accused Army deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was not among them. The White
House announced the pardons Monday afternoon alongside Obama's decision to commute the sentences of 153 other individuals. White House
Counsel Neil Eggleston left the door open for additional pardons in Obama's remaining month in office, perhaps leaving hope for Bergdahl that the
president will grant his pardon petition that would spare him a court-martial in April on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
Bowe
Bergdahl due in court for pretrial hearing. A judge on Friday suggested the military would not let Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl off easy for walking off his post in Afghanistan, saying the soldier indeed bore some responsibility for the risky missions
to find him. Still, the judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, ultimately ruled at a pretrial hearing that prosecutors could not
use evidence of soldiers' serious wounds suffered while they searched for Bergdahl. One soldier was shot in the head and
suffered a traumatic brain injury; the other required hand surgery.
A
Bergdahl pardon would be Obama's final betrayal of the military. Will President Obama betray our military one
last time by pardoning Bowe Bergdahl? He's already imposed rules of engagement that protect our enemies, kill our
soldiers and deny us victory. He's targeted the US armed forces for social engineering, undermining combat
effectiveness. He dishonored our dead by throwing away our hard-won success in Iraq. And he so emasculated our
military that the world saw crying US sailors captive to Iran, disgracing the traditions of our fighting Navy. The only
occasions when Obama embraced our troops came when he could pose for the cameras pinning medals on far better men. His
administration has shown more understanding for imprisoned traitor Private Bradley Manning's desire for a sex-change
operation than for gravely wounded veterans struggling for health care.
Bergdahl
requests pardon from President Obama, US officials. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — held captive for
five years after being captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan — has requested a pardon from President Obama, Fox
News has learned from two senior US officials. According to a well-placed source, Bergdahl thanked the president for
rescuing him in May 2014 in a controversial exchange for five Taliban prisoners from Gitmo, in addition to asking for a
pardon in the letter. The Secretary of the Army was copied on the letter to the president, but the pardon was not
formally requested through the military chain of command.
Bergdahl
team also focus on Trump, says he violated soldier's constitutional rights. The Obama administration said
Saturday [12/3/2016] that it has officially received Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's request for a pardon, while the soldier's
lawyers work on a backup plan to have their client's charges dismissed after President-elect Donald Trump takes office. [...]
Bergdahl's original pardon request was apparently sent Friday to President Obama through the Justice Department, and the
secretary of the Army received a copy. But it was not formally requested through the military chain of command, Fox
News learned.
Bowe
Bergdahl seeks pardon from President Barack Obama on court martial. Lawyers for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have
applied for a pardon from President Barack Obama, seeking to avoid court martial proceedings over desertion charges.
The New York Times reported Bergdahl's lawyers filed a clemency application with the White House, the Pentagon and the
Justice Department, formally requesting Obama consider granting Bergdahl a pre-emptive pardon on the military criminal
charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
Bergdahl
judge mulls dismissing case over McCain comments. Defense attorneys for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl sought to
have charges against their client dismissed Tuesday [8/23/2016], arguing that comments made by Sen. John McCain could prevent
a fair trial. Speaking to The Boston Herald in October, McCain said that he would hold a congressional hearing if Bergdahl
wasn't punished during his military trial. In the same interview, the Arizona Republican added that Bergdahl "clearly
deserted" his post.
Army
Prosecutors: Bergdahl Desperately Wanted To Be A Russian Mob Hitman. Army prosecutors filed a statement
Tuesday alleging that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl left his post in Afghanistan for the purpose of joining the Russian mob.
"He mentioned his plan would be to go through Pakistan and into India and join the Russian mob," then-Pfc. Shane Cross,
a fellow soldier of Bergdahl's, told Army investigators in an affidavit. "Prior to the deployment he had claimed to
speak Russian, that he had learned while working on a fishing boat that traveled to Europe. He also mentioned that he
wouldn't want any tattoos, because they would be identifiable marks on his body."
Valerie
Jarrett: How Much Control Does She Have Over Obama and Clinton? [Scroll down] Despite being an appointee who was never
elected by the American people, Valerie Jarrett appears to have real influence in the White House. An insider in the Obama administration has
confirmed that Jarrett supported trading five detained terrorists in a prisoner swap for a single US Army Sergeant (Bowe Bergdahl) who had deserted
his post.
Barack Obama
Has Committed Treason. Treason is defined by, "The offense of betraying one's own country by attempting to
overthrow the government through waging war against the state or materially aiding it's enemies". Article III,
Section 3 of the United States Constitution specifically states that, "Treason against the United States, shall consist
only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort". When Barack Obama released
five-high ranking Taliban officials for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a deserter, Obama betrayed the highest obligation of his
office — safeguarding national security. This is a fact that cannot be refuted.
Obama
Administration Has History of Scrubbing Allah from Transcripts. Monday's release of the text of Orlando
terrorist shooter Omar Mateen's 9-1-1 call is not the first time the Obama administration purportedly scrubbed "Allah" from a
transcript. To this day, the official White House transcript of a Rose Garden ceremony with the father of released
soldier Bowe Bergdahl transcribes every word besides Robert Bergdahl's Arabic declaration of "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim."
That means "In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate." The White House website provides a video of the ceremony,
at which the controversial prisoner swap for Berghdahl in exchange for five Taliban members who were being held at the detention
center at Guantanamo Bay was announced.
Bergdahl
Court-Martial Delayed Until After Election. Seems that the court-martial of Bowe Bergdahl, which was supposed
to take place this August, has been pushed back until next February. As in, after the presidential election. [...]
Bergdahl is currently pushing paperwork at Fort Sam Houston, awaiting the court-martial. Given how much fanfare the
Obama administration made out of Bergdahl's return in 2014[,] the news that the Army was going ahead with a court-martial
after an investigation was an embarrassment. And retired Lt. Colonel Tony Shaffer believes that Obama has
politicized this court-martial so much, that the only way to get a fair verdict is to hold the court-martial after he is
no longer in office.
The
Army Won't Try Bergdahl on Obama's Watch. On Tuesday an Army judge postponed the trial of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from
August 2016 to February 2017. For those keeping track, this means that Bergdahl's trial for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy
will conveniently take place after Barack Obama leaves office. This will save Obama the embarrassment of seeing Bergdahl court
martialed while commander-in-chief, after having traded five powerful and notorious terrorists for the soldier, while his functionaries
described Bergdahl has having served "honorably."
Bowe
Bergdahl court-martial delayed until February 2017. A military judge decided Tuesday [5/17/2016] to delay Bergdahl's
trial from August until February to provide time for resolving disputes over the defense team's access to classified documents.
Bergdahl, now 30, sat attentively in his dress blue formal uniform, his infantry cord looped under the epaulet on his right shoulder,
during the brief hearing. The soldier from Hailey, Idaho, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
The latter charge is relatively rare and carries the potential of life in prison.
Why is the Army so eager to defend this guy? Army
goes all-in on Bowe Bergdahl's defense, assigns four military lawyers. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has no less
than four military defense lawyers, plus his civilian lawyer, to try to beat the Army charge of desertion on the battlefield
in Afghanistan. U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, which will conduct Sgt. Bergdahl's court martial, put out
a statement on Tuesday announcing that the military concluded a brief pre-trial hearing that morning.
Ri-i-i-i-ight. Army:
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had psychiatric disorder when he left post. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held captive for five
years by the Taliban, had a mental-health disorder marked by odd, eccentric behaviors and social isolation when he walked
away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009, documents released by his defense team showed.
Even less believable: Bowe
Bergdahl says he left his post in an act of 'self-sacrifice'. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was diagnosed with
schizotypal personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder upon his release from captivity in Afghanistan, it was
revealed on Wednesday [3/16/2016]. According to an Army Sanity Board evaluation of the freed prisoner of war, Bergdahl
was afflicted with schizotypal personality disorder at the time he walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was captured
by the Taliban. A definition of the disorder on the Mayo Clinic's website states that people suffering from this condition
'are often described as odd or eccentric and usually have few, if any, close relationships.[']
Bowe
Bergdahl's lame Trump gambit prompts more profound questions. Lawyers for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the most famous
US Army deserter since Sgt. Eddie Slovik went before a firing squad in January 1945, are having a sad about Donald Trump.
Trump says Taliban turncoat Bergdahl, now awaiting a general court-martial after walking away from an Afghanistan outpost in
2009, should face a firing squad of his own. The lawyers say Trump's polluting the jury pool for Bergdahl's court-martial,
and they want to talk to the GOP presidential front-runner about it.
Justice
Department May Probe Alleged Bergdahl Ransom Payment. The Justice Department's top watchdog is considering whether to review the legality of
any payments that the U.S. government may have made for the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and what role the FBI played in efforts to free the soldier
from captivity in Pakistan, The Daily Beast has learned. The department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, wrote a letter to a member of Congress
earlier this month saying that he had opened a "preliminary inquiry" into the matter, which concerns allegations that the U.S. government paid a ransom for
Bergdahl's freedom, and that in February 2014 the FBI sent a representative to the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan expecting Bergdahl to be released.
Time
for the Senate to Tell Obama Where He can Put his Phone and Pen. [Scroll down] Not content with thumbing
his nose at Congress's constitutional authority to set the terms and duration of their own recess, Obama directly violated
Congressional statutes on countless occasions, including clearly expressed federal law which required him to notify
Congress before attempting a prisoner swap like the one in which he sent multiple dangerous terrorists back to Afghanistan in
exchange for deserter Bowe Bergdahl. The Obama administration actually admitted that they broke the law with respect to
Bergdahl, but basically excused this by saying "It was super important, guys."
Obama Dealing Terror. Obsessed with
closing Guantanamo Bay, Obama began releasing dangerous detainees almost immediately upon entering office. Ignoring the threat that these terrorists pose,
Obama jumped at the opportunity to trade the Taliban Five for traitor Beau Bergdahl. Deceiving the American people, Obama used Bergdahl's parents as props
in his Rose Garden victory speech ignoring the minor detail that Bergdahl was a deserter who placed his entire platoon in jeopardy. Just like his
announcements that Benghazi was caused by a video and the Iran nuclear deal will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Obama lied to Americans
understanding the complicit media would fail to vet his actions. He shipped the Taliban Five to Qatar for one year of "supervision" before allowing
them to reunite with their murdering colleagues and resume their terrorist activities — as they are now doing.
Sgt
Bowe Bergdahl appears in court in military attire. Sgt Bowe Bergdahl has appeared in court for his pre-trial hearing.
An Army judge is considering how to handle more than 300,000 pages of documents — many of them classified — that will
be part of the case against the soldier who walked off an outpost in Afghanistan. Dressed in military attire, Bergdahl arrived at the
courthouse in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Tuesday morning [1/12/2016]. He faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the
enemy in the trial that is expected to start this summer.
Krauthammer's
Take: Bergdahl Court Martial Will Hurt Obama in Eyes of Soldiers. Asked tonight [12/22/2015] whether the Bowe
Bergdahl court martial could turn his release from the Taliban into a "loss" for the Obama Administration, Charles Krauthammer
said, "I think the loss is the fact that Obama actually thought that he deserved a victory lap when he announced the release
and stood up in the Rose Garden with the parents of this man who could turn out to be a traitor." "It just tells you
what Obama is thinking," he said on Wednesday's [12/23/2015] Special Report. "It's not just the illegality of the act.
It's the fact that he didn't recognize what he had essentially done and then he allows his National Security Adviser to go out there
and say he served with honor and distinction."
Pentagon's
Move Against Bowe Bergdahl Was About Its Own Integrity. Defying the White House, the Pentagon has ordered the much-feted Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to stand
trial for desertion. It was the right move, given the growing threats to the good order of the armed services. It was a dramatic act because treason in
the Age Of Obama isn't what it used to be. [...] [Bergdahl's] dereliction of duty in wartime cost six American men their lives as they were forced to hunt for him,
a cruel fate for all who stayed loyal to their units and their missions, even in the hardship of combat.
Why
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will never face an Army firing squad. The long, twisted case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl took another turn Monday [12/14/2015] after
the Army announced he would face a general court martial on charges of desertion and misbehaving before the enemy. In prior desertion cases, a guilty
conviction might have meant a death sentence, but military prosecutors ruled out that possibility for Bergdahl when they charged him in March. Instead,
if found guilty, he could face life in prison.
Trial
of Sergeant Bergdahl Marks Important Moment For an America at War. General Robert Abrams of the Army didn't
explain his thinking when he referred Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl to a general court-martial that could send him to prison for
life. But let me hazard a guess. The general wants to signal that desertion and misbehavior before the enemy are
serious matters in a time of war. That's a sound signal to send not only to our GIs but also to our politicians —
and to the press. Which is racing to grapple with the meaning of the coming trial. Hundreds, maybe thousands of dispatches
and editorials are pouring over the wires. It seems the country gets the importance of this case.
Bergdahl
Court Martial also Indicts Obama. The decision to refer the case of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl to a general court martial on
charges of desertion by Gen. Robert B. Abrams, the head of Army Forces Command at Ft. Bragg, N.C., shows there remains at least one
general not cowed by President Obama's purge of command officers deemed insufficiently subservient to his policies of appeasement and
unilateral disarmament.
Why
is Obama obsessed with springing terrorists from Gitmo? Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, for whom President Obama traded
five top Taliban figures, is now facing court-martial on desertion charges. Meanwhile, a terrorist the president sprang from
Gitmo in 2012, Ibrahim al-Qosi, has surfaced as a top leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Yet Obama is eager for
more Gitmo releases, in hopes of closing the place down. Last week's House Armed Services Committee report on the Bergdahl
swap gave the White House a bipartisan slam for 1) not giving Congress the legally required 30 days' notice on Gitmo
releases and 2) misleading lawmakers on the negotiations under way. The committee's GOP majority even suggested Obama
exploited the Bergdahl talks to get the "Taliban Five" released.
Bergdahl
heading for harsher general court-martial. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for
five years and freed in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay, will face charges of desertion and misbehavior before
the enemy in a general court-martial, the Army announced on Monday [12/14/2015]. If convicted, Bergdahl could get life in
prison on the misbehavior charge and up to five years for desertion. He also could be dishonorably discharged, reduced in
rank and made to forfeit all pay.
Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl to face most serious kind of court-martial in Army desertion case. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will
face a general court-martial in connection with his 2009 disappearance from his base in Afghanistan, service officials said
Monday [12/14/2015], raising the possibility that the soldier could face life in prison after being held captive by the Taliban
for five years. The Army has chosen a type of trial that could yield a more severe sentence than what an officer recommended
earlier this year. Bergdahl, 29, has been charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, and the court-martial
could touch off even more scrutiny of what has become a bizarre and controversial case.
Army
Forces Command Overrides White House — Will Charge Bowe Bergdahl With Desertion. The unwritten
aspect to this story is that the Army Forces Command is overriding the White House who didn't want Bergdahl charged due to
political issues, ie. embarrassment. Numerous previous outlines have evidenced pressure from inside the political
apparatus to dismiss charges against the deserter who was praised in the Rose Garden by President Obama — Today
[12/14/2015] the Army said, nope, the guy is going to face the charges.
Bowe
Bergdahl to Face General Court Martial. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's case has been referred to a general court
martial, where he could face a life sentence if convicted of misbehavior before the enemy and he could face five years of
prison time if convicted of desertion. On June 30, 2009, Bergdahl walked away from his unit's remote outpost in eastern
Afghanistan and was held captive by the Taliban for the next five years until a controversial prisoner swap for five former
Taliban officials held at Guantanamo. "The U.S. Army Forces Command's Commanding General referred two charges today, Dec. 14,
in the case of United States vs. Sgt. Robert B. Bergdahl to a General Court-Martial," the Army said in a statement.
The
Bergdahl Desertion Case Is Not A Sensational Thriller. Bergdahl was lionized for political purposes by the
White House in a Rose Garden ceremony last year, until a defiant Pentagon put its foot down and laid out desertion charges
against the Army private who walked off base on his own, sent notes to his parents about being ashamed of being American, got
himself taken prisoner by the Taliban and whose acts cost six American soldiers their lives in the search for him. The
facts of the case are not difficult: Bergdahl deserted his post.
Hillary
Clinton misled Congress on Bowe Bergdahl swap. When Republican members of Congress learned in November 2011
that the Obama administration was contemplating a swap — Taliban terrorists for captured Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl — they wrote to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of their fears. Mrs. Clinton wrote back that
they had nothing to worry about. The White House would follow the law requiring a 30-day heads-up. [...] Fewer than three
years later, Mr. Obama freed five hard-line Taliban commanders from the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Inside
the Botched Rescue of Bowe Bergdahl. The U.S. government paid a ransom in the hopes of freeing the captive
American soldier, a congressman alleges. But when the FBI went to get Bowe Bergdahl, he wasn't there.
Rep
presses for answers on alleged FBI role in 'payment' for Bergdahl. A House Republican claims the FBI played a
central role in making a botched "payment" meant to help secure the release last year of Bowe Bergdahl — the Army
sergeant who left his post in 2009 and was held by the Taliban for nearly five years — and is now seeking an
investigation into the bureau's alleged involvement. The FBI is not commenting on the allegations. But Rep. Duncan
Hunter, R-Calif. — who has long questioned whether a ransom of some kind was offered for Bergdahl's release —
claimed in a recent letter to the Justice Department inspector general that he has learned "non-DoD organizations, led by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), undertook the recovery mission."
Bergdahl
photos appear to challenge claim for abandoning post. New photos obtained by Fox News appear to challenge Bowe
Bergdahl's claim that he abandoned his post in 2009 to draw attention to leadership problems in the Army, according to a
former platoon mate who served with the Idaho native in Afghanistan. "That whole story that he walked away to tell on us
doesn't make any sense. He was relaxed and there was nothing about leadership problems," former Army Pvt. Joseph Coe said,
adding that Bergdahl gave him the photos five days before he walked away from their outpost on June 30, 2009.
"Bergdahl was a good friend to me, but he messed up and needs to be held accountable."
The
Bowe Bergdahl Case: Where Treason Won Out. According to a still-unreleased investigative report by the House
Armed Services Committee, the 2014 prisoner swap of Bergdahl and five Taliban kingpins held at Guantanamo was primarily a
political act for the White House's own purposes, not "the best deal we could get," as the Pentagon claimed at the time. Nor
was it a prisoner exchange to signal the end of hostilities, as White House sources told the press. It was all about
President Obama's desire to empty out Guantanamo, a sorry bid to fulfill a campaign promise to the far left, and never mind
the consequences to American security, according to the Daily Beast, which got its hands on the still-unpublished report.
The
'Taliban Five' Freed for Bergdahl Have Resumed 'Threatening Activities'. The five Taliban commanders who were
exchanged for Bowe Bergdahl — a U.S. soldier who deserted his post in Afghanistan and was captured by the Taliban
shortly after doing so — have resumed "threatening activities," after being released to Qatar from Guantánamo
Bay last year, according to a new House Armed Services Committee report. "Some of the Taliban Five have engaged in
threatening activities since being transferred to Qatar," the report said.
Report:
White House broke law, deceived Congress in Bergdahl-Taliban swap. The Obama administration broke the law and
misled Congress in the swap last year of five Taliban leaders for a captured U.S. soldier because President Obama wanted to
further his pledge to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday [12/10/2015]
in a report. The 108-page report also said key Defense Department officials who might have raised red flags on the swap for Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl were left out of the decision-making process. "Our report finds that the administration clearly broke the law
in not notifying Congress of the transfer," said House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas.
House
report accuses Obama of violating law in Bergdahl exchange. A House Armed Services Committee report set to be
released Thursday [12/10/2015] accuses the Obama administration of misleading Congress and violating federal law during a controversial
prisoner exchange. The report compiled by the GOP majority charges that the administration did so when it bypassed Congress in
negotiating the exchange of five Taliban prisoners for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was being held in Afghanistan. They
suggested that the White House had put politics and expediency ahead of proper procedure in making the deal.
What
'Serial' Listeners Should Know About the Bowe Bergdahl Case. Why Bergdahl Left His Base: This is the central
question of the Bergdahl case, and we heard the soldier describe his motives in his own words for the first time in
Thursday's episode of "Serial." Bergdahl told filmmaker Mark Boal he walked off base on June 30, 2009, because he had serious
concerns about his superiors, and wanted to trigger a DUSTWUN — an alert for missing soldiers — to draw
attention to the situation. He would hike to a nearby base and probably get thrown in jail, but that would give him a chance
to speak to Army commanders. "All I was seeing was basically leadership failure to the point that the lives of the guys
standing next to me were literally, from what I could see, in danger of something seriously going wrong, and somebody being
killed," he said. That's consistent with what Bergdahl told the Army, but some have claimed that he had been reaching out
to the Taliban and was planning to "offer himself up" to the enemy.
In
new 'Serial' podcast, Bowe Bergdahl says he likened himself to Jason Bourne before capture. After slipping away
alone from his tiny base in Afghanistan under cover of darkness in 2009, Army Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl had a sinking thought: His
plan to draw attention to himself by spawning a massive manhunt was going to lead to a "hurricane of wrath" from his
commanders. Bergdahl decided then to deviate from his plan to head straight from his platoon's base, Observation Post
Mest, to the larger headquarters 20 miles away, Forward Operating Base Sharana, he said on an episode of the podcast "Serial"
published Thursday. It marked his first media interview since he was released in May 2014 after being held in captivity for
five years by a group affiliated with the Taliban.
Congress:
Bowe Bergdahl Swap Was FUBAR. A new congressional report is critical of the Obama administration's decision to trade five
Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. And the report ascribes a political motivation to the prisoner
swap, according to two sources familiar with the document's contents. Administration officials have long said that the exchange of
Taliban prisoners for Bergdahl, who disappeared from his base in eastern Afghanistan in 2009 and was held for five years by a Taliban
affiliate, was conducted under a long-standing tradition of trading prisoners at the end of military hostilities.
Defending
The Indefensible Bowe Bergdahl. "The U.S. Army is the biggest joke the world has to laugh at. It is the army of
liars, backstabbers, fools and bullies. I am ashamed to be an American. The horror of the self-righteous arrogance that
they thrive in. It is all revolting". These were the words written by Bowe Bergdahl to his family on June 27th 2009,
three days before he deserted his post in Afghanistan and into the hands of the Taliban. Fast forward five years to May 31st
as news headlines broke informing the public that President Barack Obama, acting unilaterally, had made a deal to trade five high-ranking
Taliban officials held in Guantanamo Bay for a deserter, Bowe Bergdahl.
No News is Bad News
in the Bergdahl Case. It has been over a month since Bergdahl's attorneys leaked the results of the Article 32 hearing in his
case (this being the military version of a grand jury.) The recommendation went to General Robert Abrams the convening authority for
disposition. Although the Bergdahl case is actually a relatively simple affair on the charges (desertion and misbehavior before the
enemy) and the facts, Abrams has yet to make a decision on the matter. This follows a disturbing pattern wherein this case has featured
long delays at every step, as Army officials obviously try to square Obama's stated preferences (and ego) with military justice.
Bergdahl
Show Trial: Record Shows a Cover-Up in the Works. After a preliminary hearing, Army officials are recommending
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl get off without jail time or a punitive discharge for walking off his Afghanistan military base in 2009.
He could even get back pay and lifetime disability payments. The recommendation leaked out Sunday [10/11/2015], infuriating
some of Bergdahl's former platoon-mates. Instead of examining Bergdahl's crimes, the hearing whitewashed them.
The Likely Bergdahl Endgame.
According to Bowe Bergdahl's attorneys, the presiding officer at the his recent Article 32 hearing, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Visger, has
recommended that the soldier only face a Special Courts Martial for abandoning his post in Afghanistan and not be given jail time. A
Special Courts Martial also would take away the possibility of a dishonorable discharge. Bergdahl's attorneys, clearly cheered by the
tepid recommendation, are now calling for the convening authority (General Robert Abrams) to proceed with nothing stronger than non-judicial
punishment (Article 15 in Army parlance.) Either result would likely allow Bergdahl to escape any time in jail, avoid a
dishonorable discharge, and perhaps most importantly to both him and his attorneys, retain his benefits and collect his back pay.
Bowe
Bergdahl should Not go to prison for 'deserting' his unit, recommends preliminary military hearing. An Army
officer is recommending that Sgt Bowe Bergdahl face a lower-level court martial and be spared the possibility of jail time
for leaving his post in Afghanistan, his lawyer said Saturday [10/10/2015]. In a memorandum issued on Friday, Lieutenant
Colonel Mark Visger, the presiding officer at the Article 32 hearing last month in San Antonio, recommended 'non-judicial
punishment' for Bergdahl. Military prosecutors told the two-day hearing Bergdahl should be held accountable because he
intended to desert his post and said his actions fundamentally altered US operations in Afghanistan.
Lawyer:
Officer recommends no jail for Bergdahl. The officer in charge of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's Article 32 hearing has
recommended that the soldier accused of desertion avoid jail time for his actions, according to Bergdahl's civil defense
attorney. Lt. Col. Mark Visger's report to Gen. Robert Abrams, the head of Army Forces Command who is in charge of the
case, also will advise that the matter be decided at a special court-martial, lawyer Eugene Fidell told Army Times on Saturday
[10/10/2015], confirming reports in other media outlets. Soldiers facing special courts-martial can receive no more than a year
in jail and no worse than a bad-conduct discharge; punishments regarding hard labor and pay forfeiture have similar restrictions.
The
Bergdahl Case Gets Curiouser and Curiouser. [Scroll down] Since I found it hard to believe that
Bergdahl's attorneys would allow him to speak to the investigating officer unless he essentially had nothing incriminating to
say, I assumed he claimed to have no memory of the events that led to his capture by the Taliban, including deserting his
Army post. I was wrong. Instead, Bergdahl did incriminate himself, explaining to Dahl that he abandoned his post,
but did so because he felt that his superiors were incompetent. Bergdahl claimed that his intent was to hike the
19 miles between his observation post and the nearest forward operating base in order to inform higher ranking officers
there of the situation back at his unit. Bergdahl left behind his own rifle, considered stealing another soldier's
pistol but thought better of it, and set out unarmed on his mission.
The revised Bowe
Bergdahl story seems like a bit of a stretch. As we move through the preliminary court proceedings for Bowe
Bergdahl we're beginning to get his side of the story from the defense and it's certainly standing in stark contrast to all
of the reports we've seen since his initial capture and later release when he was traded for the Taliban Five. Rather than
a story of a guy who was looking to either go find the enemy or "walk to China" as he claimed in a letter he left for his
comrades, as well as saying that he was ashamed to be an American, in this new version of the story he was looking for
another American base.
Platoon
leader describes grueling 2009 search for Bergdahl. The commanders of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's platoon, company and
battalion testified Thursday [9/17/2015] at a hearing to determine if he should face a court-martial for leaving his post in
Afghanistan six years ago, and each stressed that the ensuing search put his fellow soldiers in danger.
Probe
of hero Green Beret focusing on presentation he made on Bowe Bergdahl. The Army's probe into a Green Beret war
hero on a complaint he divulged classified information is focusing on a Powerpoint presentation he made on then-captive Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The Army has not charged Lt. Col. Jason Amerine, one of the first soldiers to invade Afghanistan in
2001. But earlier this month its Criminal Investigations Command (CID) did book him, taking fingerprints and a mug shot
for its file.
New twist in Bergdahl defense case. In
the latest twist to the saga of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, his military attorney quietly reached out to the same former CIA officer who earlier this
year told Fox News Bergdahl was stoned after he walked off his Afghanistan post in 2009 — but this time in an effort to help Bergdahl's
case. Not only that, the lawyer had tried to discredit the same source in a public filing. According to military documents, Bergdahl's
defense team took aim at former CIA case officer, Duane "Dewey" Clarridge, who at the time of the 29-year-old's disappearance was running a private
intelligence gathering network in Afghanistan to help locate and free Western hostages.
Attorney:
Bergdahl won't testify at his military hearing. Bowe Bergdahl will not be among the four witnesses that his
lawyers plan to call to testify at the hearing to determine if the Army sergeant should face a court-martial for leaving his
post in Afghanistan six years ago, his lead attorney said Friday [9/18/2015].
Bowe
Bergdahl Should Not Be Imprisoned, Army Investigator Says. The general who led the Army's investigation into the
disappearance of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from his remote outpost in Afghanistan in 2009 said on Friday [9/18/2015] that sentencing the
sergeant to prison would be "inappropriate." Maj. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl, who interviewed 57 witnesses during his 59-day
investigation, testified that Sergeant Bergdahl had unreasonable, or even delusional, expectations about his deployment to
Afghanistan and about the soldiers in his unit and his command. But General Dahl testified that he found Sergeant Bergdahl
truthful during the day and a half he spent interviewing him as part of the investigation. General Dahl also said that
Sergeant Bergdahl had shown remorse about how his decision to leave his base could have endangered others in his platoon.
Platoon
leader describes grueling 2009 search for Bergdahl. The commanders of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's platoon, company and
battalion testified Thursday at a hearing to determine if he should face a court-martial for leaving his post in Afghanistan
six years ago, and each stressed that the ensuing search put his fellow soldiers in danger.
Obama
'Hero' Bergdahl Slapped With Stiffer Charges. The Army has charged Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior
before the enemy, a rare offense carrying a life-in-prison penalty. It's clear he was never the hero President Obama made
him out to be. Bergdahl appeared Thursday [9/17/2015] before a military hearing at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to determine
whether he will face a full court-martial for deserting his post in Afghanistan and triggering a dangerous search for his
whereabouts. According to the Army Times, the desertion charge carries a maximum punishment of five years confinement, a
dishonorable discharge, a reduction in rank and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. The misbehavior before the enemy
charge also carries a maximum punishment of confinement for life.
Platoon
leader: Bowe Bergdahl "snuck off the post". Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's commanding officer when the Idaho native
vanished from his post in Afghanistan six years ago testified Thursday [9/17/2015] that he thought his soldiers were playing
a joke on him when they told him that Bergdahl had gone missing. Speaking at the outset of an Article 32 hearing
to determine if Bergdahl should face a military trial on desertion and other charges, Capt. John Billings said that when he
realized they were telling the truth, he was "in shock, absolute utter disbelief that I couldn't find one of my own men.
That's a hard thing to swallow," he told the military prosecutor, Maj. Margaret Kurz.
Navy
SEAL Who Received Horrible Injury Searching For Bergdahl Wants [Something Bad] To Happen To Him. [Scroll down] "'Sure enough, days
later I was shot, lying in a field screaming my head off,' said Hatch, whose femur was shattered, the bone blasted out of the back of his
right leg by an AK-47 round in the effort to rescue Bergdahl from the Taliban," according to the Herald. Furthermore, "people had to
risk their lives to come and save me. A helicopter had to fly back into a very active gunfight," recounted Hatch, who experienced
debilitating depression after his injury. The sailor was not able to return to active service and still walks with a limp to this
day after 18 surgeries on his leg.
Hearing
set to debate Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl desertion charges. Lawyers for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who faces military charges for leaving
his post in Afghanistan, are likely to argue at his initial court hearing that his years of being held captive by the Taliban were
punishment enough, according to legal experts.
Lawyer:
Bowe Bergdahl 'In Physical Danger' From Fellow Soldiers. Ahead of a key hearing this week in his case of
alleged desertion, former Taliban prisoner Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's defense team told a military tribunal that he has been
"in physical danger" for a year from fellow soldiers who are angry over claims he betrayed his country. Bergdahl's
civilian defense lawyer Eugene Fidell said former military and intelligence officers appearing in conservative news media had
vilified Bergdahl and stoked hatred over social media such as Facebook over Bergdahl's perceived misconduct while in captivity.
Fidell provided examples from the "Bergdahl is a Traitor" page.
Bergdahl
lawyer wants interrogation made public. The lawyer for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier held prisoner by the
Taliban for five years, is asking the Army to publicly release a transcript of his interview with military officials.
Ex-Navy
SEAL: Bergdahl must be 'held accountable'. Former Navy SEAL Jimmy Hatch says Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl "needs to
know how much was risked" to try to save him after he was captured by the Taliban. "I want that kid to have his day in
court, because he's an American, and he's got that coming," Hatch said in an interview on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" on Friday
[9/11/2015]. Bergdahl, who allegedly walked off of his eastern Afghanistan base in June 2009, has been charged with one
count of desertion and one count of misbehavior before the enemy.
The Stray Voltage of
Bowe Bergdahl. Much to the dismay of the administration which had called Bergdahl a "hero" and said he had
"served with honor and distinction" his former comrades soon let it be known that the administration's narrative was, as was
to be expected, unrelated to the actual truth. Instead of a prisoner of war, it became clear that Bergdahl had voluntarily
abandoned his post and sought out the Taliban. And because of his actions at least five and as many as fourteen US military
personnel were killed. Rather than caution, the White House went on the attack.
Who
Is Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl? US Military Uses Unusual Law Against Soldier. U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has
been accused of deserting his post in Afghanistan, has been charged with the seldom-used infraction "misbehavior before the
enemy" — a law that has rarely been imposed since World War II. Bergdahl, who was also charged with desertion,
will face a possible life sentence if convicted, the Washington Post reported. The charge claims Bergdahl "left without
authority; and wrongfully caused search and recovery operations." The soldier was captured in June 2009 by the Taliban
and held for five years after he abandoned his post. Bergdahl was released after U.S. government agreed last year to trade
five Taliban militants from Guantanamo Bay. But soldiers who served alongside Bergdahl criticized the deal. They said
Bergdahl's alleged decision to desert put the lives of soldiers in his unit at risk as they searched for him. Others said
the search diverted resources from other units. Some former platoon mates applauded the charges the U.S. army brought Monday
[9/7/2015].
Former
Taliban captive Bowe Bergdahl hit with charge that has rarely been used since WWII. Military prosecutors have
reached into a section of military law seldom used since World War II in the politically fraught case against Army Sgt Bowe
Bergdahl, the soldier held prisoner for years by the Taliban after leaving his post in Afghanistan. Earlier this year
Bergdahl was charged with desertion after the deal brokered by the United States to bring him home. And now he has also
been charged with misbehavior before the enemy, a much rarer offense that carries a stiffer potential penalty in this case.
Donald
Trump Under Fire For Calling Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl a 'Dirty, Rotten Traitor'. Donald Trump is under fire from Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl's lawyer for calling his client a "dirty, rotten traitor." Bergdahl's lawyer is demanding that Trump apologize
for his comments. Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl's defense attorney is furious at what Trump called the soldier now being prosecuted
for desertion. "This is the lowest kind of demagoguery," Fidell said. "Mr. Trump's comments are contemptible and
un-American. They are a call for mob justice."
The Editor says...
If Mr. Bergdahl is a Muslim deserter and a traitor, his attorney exhibits abundant temerity in calling someone else "un-American."
Obama
OKs Hostage Policy Changes, Including Ransom Payments to Terrorists. Officially, governments frown on the
practice of payoffs or prisoner exchanges, rightly fearing they will only encourage more captures. That is, until
governments see some advantage in such trades. Last year President Obama approved the trade of five high-ranking
Taliban leaders for one U.S soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, held in Afghanistan. The potential PR advantage of such a trade
was leaving no one behind as the Democrat withdrew all combat troops. But more importantly for Obama, it also
reduced the prisoner population in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, which he's long wanted to empty and close.
The exchange, however, blew up in the administration's face as it was revealed in court martial documents that Bergdahl
had allegedly abandoned his Army post to voluntarily become a Taliban prisoner.
Obama's
Addiction Problem. [Scroll down] The shameful exchange of five arch-terrorists
for Bowe Bergdahl, accused deserter, was hailed by Barack Obama from the steps of the White House.
Susan Rice was deployed to lie once again — this time she declared Bergdahl had served
with "honor and distinction" — perhaps the White House actually does feel a deserter is serving
with honor and distinction. Barack Obama's exchange had to be portrayed as a brilliant one. As
will be his closing of Guantanamo Bay and his passing out Get out of Jail cards to murderers.
Former
CIA operative: Bergdahl was 'high' when captured in Afghanistan. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
was apparently "high" with a small group of Afghan soldiers when they were picked up by nomads in
2009, according to a former CIA operative who was running a network of informants on the ground.
The information brings some additional detail to the otherwise murky picture of the circumstances of
Bergdahl's disappearance and capture, five years before the Obama administration traded five
Guantanamo prisoners for Bergdahl's freedom. The former CIA operative told Fox News Bergdahl was
captured along with others, and sold to the Haqqani terrorist network in Pakistan within four days.
Bergdahl
seeks to remove general from his case. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier
charged with desertion after he was returned from the Taliban last year in exchange for prisoners
held at Guantanamo Bay, is seeking to have the officer in charge of deciding his fate removed from
the case now that he has been nominated to serve as the new Army chief of staff. Gen. Mark Milley
is responsible for deciding whether to charge Bergdahl criminally for leaving his post in 2009 in Afghanistan.
Sources:
Administration tried to recruit Taliban 5 members as informants, effort was 'total failure'. The
U.S. government tried to recruit members of the Taliban Five as assets, so they could gather intelligence and
the U.S. could influence their future actions, Fox News has learned. The effort to "flip" the five Taliban
leaders into becoming informants, however, didn't work. A source familiar with the strategy described it
as a "total failure." Other sources, who discussed the option on the condition of anonymity, backed up
the account.
Green
Beret faced retaliation after talking to Congress about Bergdahl swap. An Army war
hero turned whistleblower told Congress Thursday [6/11/2015] that the military retaliated against
him for talking to Congress about his plan to trade one Taliban warlord for at least six American
and Canadian hostages, including Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Bowe
Bergdahl could avoid jail, keep VA benefits: experts. He's being charged with desertion and
faces the possibility of life in prison, but Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could end up cutting a deal that keeps him
out of jail while receiving health benefits from the Veterans Administration, legal experts say. "I
think it's a very messy case for the government to actually try. I think it's going to resolve with
some sort of alternative disposition," attorney Greg Rinckey, a military-law specialist, told The [New York] Post.
Security
Expert Claims Obama KNEW Of Bergdahl Desertion. It could accurately be described as a
mess that's quickly rising to the level of a scandal — the Army's case against Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl and the Obama administration's scramble to contain increasingly toxic fallout from the
president's decision to swap five Taliban terrorists for an alleged deserter.
The Insane Defense
of the Bergdahl Swap. Now that Bowe Bergdahl has been charged with desertion, as his
platoon mates have suggested he should be since before the ill-fated swap was executed, the
administration's attempts to defend one of their worst decisions to date have predictably grown more
absurd. Via RCP, hashtag diplomat Jen Psaki's stammering efforts to deal with basic questions from
Megyn Kelly are a pretty representative sample.
Bergdahl:
I left my base in order to, uh, walk to another base and report wrongdoing. Supposedly
he thought he couldn't trust his own commanders to address his "leadership concerns" and hoped that
officers at the next base over, wherever that might be, would be more sympathetic to ... a guy who
had just gone AWOL in the dead of night. What's the problem with that theory? Let's ask
one of the men who served with Bergdahl: [...]
White
House confident 'Taliban Five' won't pose a risk. The White House is trying to allay
renewed fears that the "Taliban Five," the Guantanamo Bay detainees released last June in exchange
for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl would return to the battlefield in Afghanistan. President Obama's deputy
press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters Thursday [3/26/2015] that the U.S. has confidence it would be able
to mitigate the risk of the released detainees. "We do remain in continuous communication with the Qatari
government, but I'm not going to be able to comment on the specifics of those conversations," Schultz told
reporters traveling with the president on Air Force One.
Obama's
Two Obsessions: Weaken Israel and Empty Gitmo. We learned on Wednesday [3/25/2015]
that the United States Army is going to charge Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior
before the enemy. If convicted, Mr. Bergdahl could face life in prison. This charge hardly came
as a surprise to those who served with Bergdahl; they had immediately suspected him of desertion when he left
his post in Afghanistan in 2009. Both President Obama and Susan Rice surely must have known all this before
(a) Mr. Obama celebrated the deal in the Rose Garden last May with Bergdahl's parents and (b) National
Security Adviser Susan Race declared Bergdahl had served his country with "honor and distinctoin." [sic]
Only if you believe desertion and misbehavior before the enemy is honorable and a mark of moral distinction.
Bergdahl
fiasco a reminder more Gitmo battles lie ahead. The Bowe Bergdahl debacle —
trading five senior Taliban commanders for one American prisoner now charged with desertion —
has its roots in President Obama's determination to close the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay.
If the president's past is any guide, there will be more Gitmo-related fiascos in the future.
Obama has exhibited an unmistakable pattern of behavior in recent years: When Congress fails to
do what he wants, he does it himself, or threatens to.
Obama
administration on trial for Bergdahl. Almost six years after he went missing in Afghanistan, Army Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl now faces criminal charges for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy that endangered his fellow
soldiers. The course and delay of the investigation has raised serious questions of political manipulation of
the case. After swapping five Taliban leaders with terrorism links for Bergdahl, President Barack Obama faced
rising criticism not just for the release of such dangerous blood-soaked characters but also the violation of federal
law in ordering the exchange. Worse yet, there are allegations soldiers may have been killed on missions that
included efforts to locate Bergdahl.
Report:
Obama Administration Tried but Failed to Recruit Taliban 5 to Work for the U.S.. The
United States tried to recruit the five hardened jihadis known as the Taliban 5 to work for the
United States following their release from Gitmo, Fox News is reporting. And apparently the plan
failed miserably. The five Taliban prisoners who were exchanged for Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl
were set to be released and free to travel on June 1st, but a last-minute deal between the Obama
administration and Qatar kept the travel ban in place for the time being.
Bergdahl
appeared to lay groundwork for his disappearance in Afghanistan, squad mates say. Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl slept on his bed frame, and then the concrete floor, collected contact information,
and talked about becoming a mercenary in what his squad mates now describe as behavior that laid the
groundwork for his disappearance in Afghanistan nearly six years ago. "I asked him, 'Why are you
sleeping on the frame of your bed?'" former Sgt. Matt Vierkant recalled in a recent interview with
Fox News. "I was like well, that's weird. And then I remember coming back —
I don't know if it was a week later, a couple days, and he had quit doing that and now he was just
sleeping on concrete floor, which didn't make sense to me, but now, in hindsight being 20-20, makes
me wonder if he was training to live like that."
They
Are Free To Travel On Monday — The GITMO 5. The GITMO 5 will be free to
travel the world on Monday [6/1/2015]; their year in Qatar completed. The primary aspect the
media avoids discussing, is how President Obama violated the law with the release by not notifying
congress in advance.
As
five Taliban officials walk free, Bergdahl deal stink grows. Come Monday [6/1/2015],
the five senior Taliban officials sprung from Guantanamo in the trade for accused Army deserter Bowe
Bergdahl, could all be walking free. Free to rejoin their terrorist comrades in jihad against
America — as at least three of them reportedly have already tried to do.
It's a reminder of just how bad a deal President Obama struck to free Bergdahl, the man the White
House then hailed as a hero but who now faces criminal charges of desertion and misbehavior before
the enemy — charges that could keep him behind bars for life.
Congress
Expanding Inquiries Into Bergdahl Swap. The court-martial proceeding for accused Army deserter Bowe
Berghdal won't begin until July, but the Republican Congress plans to put him back in the headlines much sooner by
expanding investigations into the deal to swap him for five Taliban commanders imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
House
panel threatens to cut defense secretary budget over Bergdahl stonewalling. The head
of a powerful House panel is threatening to withhold defense funding over the department's alleged
stonewalling in a probe of the controversial swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had initially pledged to respond to questions, when lawmakers
first demanded to know why the Pentagon had not given Congress the requisite 30-day notice before
proceeding with the May 31 prisoner trade. But nearly a year later, the Pentagon has
released only a trickle of highly redacted emails from before the swap.
Bergdahl's
platoon mates: Head of Joint Chiefs knew he walked off base in 2009. Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl walked away from his base in Afghanistan June 30, 2009, and by December of that same year,
the president's principal military adviser, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, knew
those details, according to three of Bergdahl's platoon mates who spoke to Fox News.
Bowe
Bergdahl is a deserter and the former head of the Joint Chiefs knew he was SIX YEARS ago, claim
three of the soldier's former comrades. The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
Admiral Mike Mullen knew that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdhal deserted his post in 2009, claim three of the
controversial soldier's comrades. The men say that Mullen, who served President Obama and then
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates six years ago, was certain that Bergdahl had fled the army and was
guilty of desertion. The claims mean that Mullen was in a position to tell the president his
soldier had run away five years before National Security Adviser Susan Rice told the world that
Bergdahl served honorably.
Treason and Corruption.
[Scroll down] So the Government of the United States had reason to believe six years
ago that Bergdahl was a traitor. As I asked last year and again only two weeks ago, why, knowing
what he knew, did Obama stage that Rose Garden ceremony? Why did Susan Rice tell the American people
that Bergdahl "served the United States with honor and distinction"? Why did Obama put his hand with
the wicked to be an unrighteous witness? Setting aside the propriety of trading five Taliban A-listers
for a traitor, it's impossible to look at that Rose Garden theatre as anything other than a conscious
deception of the American people by the President. Why would he do that?
2009
NCIS Investigation: Bergdahl Went Over to the Other Side. Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice told
ABC News in 2014 that Bowe Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction." Rice called his service "honorable" even
though he deserted his platoon and joined the Taliban. [...] But there is now evidence that Bowe Bergdahl was reportedly
planning on fleeing to Uzbekistan and then Russia.
NCIS
report on Bowe Bergdahl raises new questions. A 2009 NCIS investigation into Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl's activities while in Afghanistan reveal that there is clear evidence Bergdahl was "going
over to the other side with a deliberate plan," Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer said on Fox News' "The
O'Reilly Factor" Monday night [4/6/2015]. Shaffer, a former military intelligence officer and Fox
News contributor, said two senior sources told him that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service
investigation included a forensic review of his computer, which show Bergdahl's apparent intent to
travel to Uzbekistan.
Benghazi, Bergdahl, and
the Bomb. The president has a terrible record of initial public pronouncements on
national security. He has a habit of confidently stating things that turn out not to be true. Three
times in the last four years he has appeared in the Rose Garden and made assertions that were later proven to
be false. He and his national security team have again and again described a world that does not
correspond to reality. No reason to assume these concessions to Iran will be any different.
Bergdahl's
defense is he was planning to come back. Former Taliban prisoner and U.S. Army
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl told military investigators that he left his base in June 2009 to report on
misconduct in his unit and always intended to come right back. That will also be his defense
if and when he faces a court-martial for desertion, according to his lawyer.
'Senior
Defense Officials' Are Undermining Army's Prosecution of Bergdahl. Every American
accused of a crime deserves a vigorous defense, including soldiers accused of serious misdeeds on
the battlefield. But this appears to be a pair of senior defense officials (the language of which
implies to me that these men are likely not in uniform) promoting Bergdahl's case, undermining the
prosecution, interfering with the legal process, and calling into question the character of his
platoon mates, who have been critical of Bergdahl and the Obama administration's actions in the press.
New
York Times worried about Bergdahl getting a job. The New York Times is worried. Not about everyday
Americans getting jobs under the corrupt Obama regime, but about deserter Bowe Bergdahl's job prospects.
Official:
At least 3 members of 'Taliban 5' trying to reconnect with terror networks. At least
three of the five Taliban leaders traded last year for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have tried to plug back
into their old terror networks, a government official familiar with the intelligence told Fox News,
describing it as an attempt to "re-engage." The new allegations come as Bergdahl now faces
desertion charges, and as the one-year deal governing the former Guantanamo detainees' supervised
release in the Gulf nation of Qatar is set to expire — at the end of May.
Bam's disastrous deals.
The Army has now charged Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, swapped last spring from captivity in Afghanistan for
five top Taliban commanders, as a deserter who endangered his fellow soldiers' safety. Five of the
worst of the worst, for a deserter. And that was President Obama's idea of a trade worth celebrating
in a Rose Garden ceremony. So how can the nation possibly trust this president to make a deal over
Iran's drive to build nuclear weapons?
Timeline
Puts Lie To Obama's Story About Bergdahl. The Obama regime still insists that
releasing the top command of our enemy was all about saving Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. But several reports
from 2012 reveal that it was secretly negotiating the Taliban Five's release without Bergdahl.
Now that the Army has filed desertion charges against Bergdahl, the administration is under
increasing pressure to justify the bad deal. Astoundingly, it's sticking to its story
that President Obama only freed the high-risk Gitmo detainees to free a "POW."
Obama's
Chicago Presidency. Susan Rice on five televised occasions lied about Benghazi when
she serially insisted that the deaths of four Americans were due to a spontaneous demonstration over
a video — a deception she never later corrected. More recently, she insisted that Bowe
Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction" when she knew that most of the evidence clearly pointed
to his being a deserter at best and a traitor at worse, and that the five Afghan terrorists we freed
in the exchange from Guantanamo were the worst of the worst in captivity there. Just as Rice was
promoted to national security adviser after the Benghazi untruth, so too she knows there will be no
fallout over her flat-out distortions about Bergdahl. Obama's point, again, is not that Rice has
a problem with the truth, but that the fact of a national security adviser's disingenuousness is of
absolutely no consequence.
Some
in Bergdahl's platoon undercut his emerging defense. U.S. troops who served alongside
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on the day he disappeared told CNN that the emerging "whistleblower" defense
being prepared for him makes no sense. Bergdahl's lawyer is making the case that Bergdahl left his
post on foot to report his unit for troubling behavior, but his fellow troops say the platoon was already
scheduled to drive back to their Forward Operating Base, or FOB, just hours after his disappearance.
The
Bergdahl trade and the partisan polarization of America's national security. The
reason that the option to swap Bergdahl for the five Taliban senior leaders was so appealing is
because President Obama wants to close the military prison at Guantanamo, period. No matter the real
world harm such a move will cause to our allies and to the operations of our military forces. This
political narrative, above all else, has drove the horrid and dangerous decision to release the five
Taliban leaders. Further — legally, the president violated the law in authorizing the
trade of the so-called Taliban Five for Bergdahl.
Obama the Crazy Pilot.
This is the kind of administration that exchanges a creepy sociopath like Bergdahl for five Islamic
homicidal maniacs and expects praise for being humanitarian. And everyone walks away shaking their
heads. It's hard to know why Obama is doing it all. I know it sounds like a rude overstatement
but in a way he reminds me of that crazy German pilot flying that plane into that alpine cliff, only the plane
is us (America and the West). Does he hate us all that much — or is it just Netanyahu?
Obama's
Bergdahl Fairy Tale Has Unhappy Ending. [E]ven as White House image-makers touted the
picture of a concerned commander-in-chief looking out for the troops, a nagging bit of foreshadowing
interjected itself into the narrative. For starters, the senior Bergdahl's prayer was delivered in
Arabic and began with a blessing from the Koran. While his son was in captivity Bob Bergdahl had
grown his hair and beard long, Taliban-style, and now he also sprinkled his remarks from the White
House lectern with a few words of Pashto, the language of Bowe Bergdahl's captors. More
disconcerting still were the terms of the deal securing the soldier's release, which the president
referred to only fleetingly.
Why
the Army Is Charging Bowe Bergdahl With Desertion. [W]hy would the U.S. trade five
high-value Taliban prisoners for Bergdahl, only to turn around several months later and accuse him
of a major crime? The Obama administration is already taking political fire from conservatives for
an alleged miscalculation. But General Mark Milley, who made the call, may have had a restricted
set of choices.
Bowe
Bergdahl Speaks Out for First Time on Captivity. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has spoken out
publicly for the first time about his five-year captivity by the Taliban, hours after the U.S. Army
officially charged him with desertion. CNN broke the news tonight [3/25/2015], and Barbara Starr
explained that in a lengthy document released by Bergdahl's civilian lawyer, there is a portion of
the text in Bergdahl's own words, describing what he went through.
CNN's
Baldwin on Bergdahl's Desertion: Isn't Captivity 'Punishment Enough'? CNN's Brooke
Baldwin slanted towards the sympathizers of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Wednesday's [3/25/2015] CNN
Newsroom, just minutes after the U.S. Army announced that the former captive would be charged
with desertion. Baldwin asked special forces veteran Scott Mann, "You have those who...on the
opposite end, [are] vilifying him. Again, this is someone who was held... for five years by terrorists.
Is that not — this is what some say — is that not punishment enough?"
Everything
The White House Told You About Bowe Bergdahl Was Wrong. In the space of nine months,
he went from being heralded at the White House to facing prison for life. On Wednesday
[2/25/2015], the U.S. military charged Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the former Taliban captive who was
freed in exchange for five Guantanamo Bay detainees, with desertion and misbehaving before the
enemy. His capture, release and now charge became a parable of how narratives about the
war in Afghanistan did not pan out.
Jen
Psaki: Bowe Bergdahl Release 'Absolutely' Worth It. In the wake of the announcement
that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will face desertion charges, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki
expressed no regrets about the deal that brought Bergdahl back last May. In an interview with
Fox News' Megyn Kelly set to air Wednesday night, Psaki said the deal was "absolutely" worth it,
while adding that the administration will not "prejudge" the outcome of Bergdahl's case.
Susan
Rice Flashback: Bergdahl Served 'With Honor and Distinction'. National Security
Advisor Susan Rice defended the prisoner swap for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on the June 1, 2014 brodcast [sic] of
ABC's "This Week" by saying Bergdahl "served the United States with honor and distinction."
White
House Silent After Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Charged With Treason. The Obama administration
maintained that Berghdal was a hero when he was first brought back to American soil as a result of
the Guantanamo deal. On June 1, White House National Security Advisor called Berghdal's release
a "joyous day" because he had "served the United States with honor and distinction." At the time,
Obama recognized Berghdal's release as a victory for the American people.
Hillary
Clinton: How Bergdahl disappeared 'doesn't matter'. In a comment that now seems akin
to her "what difference does it make" dismissal of the Benghazi, Libya, terror slayings of U.S.
officials, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that how U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl ended
up in Taliban hands "doesn't matter." Clinton was interviewed last June after President Obama
traded five Taliban prisoners for Bergdahl, who on Wednesday [3/25/2015] was charged with desertion.
Obama was criticized by many after the trade, with some suspecting that Bergdahl sympathized with the Taliban.
Bowe
Bergdahl deserves desertion, misbehavior charges. The Army announced Wednesday
[3/25/2015] it was charging Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior. The announcement
comes as one of the five key Taliban released nearly a year ago in exchange for Bergdahl is
reportedly engaged in militant activities. Two other Taliban are under grave suspicion. The timing
is ironic, and the charges are only the first step in a series of legal proceedings still to be played out.
President
Obama and the high price we paid for Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl left his post in Paktika,
Afghanistan, in the middle of the night in June 2009 after expressing his disappointment with U.S.
policy there. Six brave soldiers died looking for him once he was taken by the Taliban. These were
lives we never should have lost. Furthermore, we are now facing the possibility of losing even
more lives in this saga.
Why Trading Five Terrorists
for Deserter Bergdahl Matters. It matters because the White House, when confronted by
who Bergdahl once, sought to smear the people who pointed out he was a deserter instead of dealing
with reality. The smears included attacking honorable American soldiers who dared to point out their
colleague was a deserter.
Remember
these famous figures who once lauded Bergdahl? U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was
officially charged with desertion on Wednesday. In light of that charge, these politicians,
journalists and political personalities might want to consider walking back some of the statements
listed below. [...]
Bergdahl
charged with desertion. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban after
abandoning his post in Afghanistan and then freed five years later in a controversial trade for five
Guantanamo detainees, was charged Wednesday [3/25/2015]with desertion. U.S. Army Forces Command announced
the decision at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The development comes 10 months after his May 2014
release — which initially was a joyous occasion, with his parents joining President Obama
in celebrating the news in the Rose Garden.
U.S.
military: Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to be charged with desertion. A U.S. official says the
Army sergeant who abandoned his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years will
be court martialed on charges of desertion and avoiding military service.
The Bergdahl
Fiasco. The languishing case of Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl continues to raise serious
questions about whether the Obama administration is illegally influencing the military justice
system. It would not be the first time either, as Obama's political views on Islam clearly
prejudiced and dragged out the prosecution of former Major Nidal Hassan, the Fort Hood terrorist.
Both cases bear the marks of improper "command influence" on the military. This is most clearly
evident in the tormented and confusing delays in processing both cases, reflective of the Army's
struggle to maintain at least a veneer of objectivity, while marching to Obama's tune.
Bowe
Bergdahl, once missing U.S. soldier, charged with desertion. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the
U.S. soldier who was recovered in Afghanistan last spring after five years in captivity, is being
charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, his lawyer said Wednesday [3/25/2015].
Bowe
Bergdahl Charged With Desertion, Lawyer Says. Bergdahl was freed after five years in
Taliban captivity in a controversial deal last year in which the U.S. agreed to release five mid- to
high-level Taliban figures from detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As part of the deal, the Taliban
five were relocated to Qatar.
The Unraveling.
[Scroll down] The morning after Obama announced the prisoner exchange, top national security officials from his
administration fanned out on the Sunday talk shows. The job of explaining the president's decision
fell to defense secretary Chuck Hagel and national security adviser Susan Rice. The president,
recognizing the "acute and urgent situation" of the missing soldier, had an obligation to "prioritize the
health of Sgt. Bergdahl," Rice explained. "His life could have been at risk." Waiting was not
an option. Bergdahl was a hero, she suggested, "an American prisoner of war captured on the
battlefield" who had served his country with "honor and distinction."
Detainee
Traded for Bergdahl May Have Contacted Taliban. U.S. spy agencies are examining
intelligence reports that one of five Taliban leaders released from Guantanamo prison and sent to
Qatar as part of a deal to free U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl last year may have re-established contact
with a militant group, U.S. officials said on Friday [3/6/2015].
Bergdahl
Swap With Taliban Made ISIS Change Demands For Hostage Kayla Mueller. This argument
was made by all reasonable people back when the White House decided it was more politically
opportune to trade GITMO detainees for Bowe Bergdahl. The newsworthy aspect is the confirmation
from the other hostage's family.
The
Bowe Bergdahl Swap Was Even Worse Than We Thought. Did you think that trading an
American deserter for 5 high-value Taliban prisoners was the Deal of the Century? Then you'll just
love this. Not only was the swap completely stupid and insane, but it set a very bad precedent
with serious repercussions.
Questions
remain about handling of Bowe Bergdahl case. President Barack Obama said in an
interview on Tuesday [2/10/2015] that he ahs [sic] had to tell families of dead American hostages
like 26-year-old Kayla Mueller that the United States will not pay to ransom their loved one, and
it's 'as tough as anything I do.' But the Obama administration's handling of the Bowe Bergdahl
saga — attempting, according to a member of Congress, to pay an intermediary for his safe
return and then trading five high-value Taliban terrorists for him when that failed —
suggests the White House's policy is less than consistent.
"We
know Bowe Bergdahl deserted because we were there when he did it". On June 30, 2009,
in Mest Malak, Afghanistan, Bowe Bergdahl left his unit and deserted the U.S. Army. We know he
deserted because we were there when he did it. We are confident that the overdue report from
political and military leaders on Bergdahl's actions, sitting on a general's desk since October,
comes to the same conclusion. It has to because the facts are clear. Whatever the reason is for
the late report and confused reporting about whether Bergdahl is set to be charged with desertion,
justice is being denied to those of us who were abandoned by a fellow soldier.
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 [2/5/2015]. 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.
Defense
Intelligence: Freed Terrorists Likely to Return to Battle, 'Very Little' We Can Do. Over the course of two minutes,
the new director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said that recent recidivism statistics suggest that at least one of the
so-called 'Taliban Five' terrorists traded for the release of charged deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will return to jihad.
Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart explained that nearly 20 percent detainees released from US custody over the last
few years have been confirmed as resuming their violent fight against the West, with even more
suspected of doing the same. It stands to reason that in light of the past atrocities and
high-ranking status of these five particular men within the Taliban, they're uniquely predisposed to
rejoin the fight. Intelligence officials seem to agree. Stewart was also asked what the US
military can do to prevent that outcome once the one-year security arrangement with Qatar expires.
His answer was not reassuring: [...]
Bergdahl
desertion report held hostage. On June 30, 2009, in Mest Malak, Afghanistan, Bowe
Bergdahl left his unit and deserted the U.S. Army. We know he deserted because we were there when he
did it. We are confident that the overdue report from political and military leaders on Bergdahl's actions,
sitting on a general's desk since October, comes to the same conclusion. It has to because the facts are
clear. Whatever the reason is for the late report and confused reporting about whether Bergdahl is set to
be charged with desertion, justice is being denied to those of us who were abandoned by a fellow soldier.
It's
All About Bowe Bergdahl: The Real Reason the White House Won't Call the Taliban "Terrorists".
Despite Army denials, desertion charges appear likely and imminent in the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who
walked away from his combat post in Afghanistan. The White House line that we traded five Taliban
generals for him because "we leave no man behind" is wearing thin. We do and should leave deserters
behind, and if we ever get our hands on them, their fate is usually not a happy one. Neither should
Bergdahl's be.
Hagel
Admits Disagreement with WH Over Pressure for Swifter Release of Gitmo Detainees. In an
interview with CNN that aired during Friday's [1/30/2015] "The Situation Room," former Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel admitted there was some disagreement between he and the Obama White House over the pace of the release of
Guantanamo Bay detainees during his tenure. In her line of questioning to Hagel involving the prisoner
swap of five Taliban Guantanamo detainees for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara
Starr got Hagel to admit there had been some pressure from within the White House.
With
Bergdahl, Army Leaders Must Choose Honor Over Politics. It's no surprise that the
Obama administration desperately wants to keep Bowe Bergdahl from being convicted of desertion.
It can't even bring itself to call the Taliban terrorists who held him "terrorists." Maybe that's
because the Administration traded him for five not-terrorist masterminds, at least one of whom is
already trying to get back in the not-terrorism game.
Networks
Fail to Cover News Taliban Detainee Swapped for Bergdahl Is Trying to Rejoin Group. On
Thursday night [1/29/2015], the major broadcast networks declined to cover reports that one of the
five Taliban detainees swapped for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in May 2014 has been seeking to rejoin
the terrorism ranks by contacting Taliban members back in Afghanistan. The news, which was broken by
CNN Thursday afternoon, came following reports on Wednesday [1/28/2015] from Fox News and NBC News that
the Army could be pressing desertion charges against Bergdahl for leaving his post prior to his capture in
2009. Since that story arose, however, the Pentagon has denied those allegations.
Pirro:
US Wouldn't Negotiate for Foley, But Released Terrorists for Bergdahl. On Saturday
[1/31/2015], the Fox News Channel's "Justice with Judge Jeanine" host, Judge Jeanine Pirro
criticized the Obama administration for swapping five Taliban terrorists for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl,
but refusing to negotiate for the release of James Foley.
Obama's
Taliban Tools and Treachery. Washington is awash in conflicting reports this week that
the Pentagon may — or may not — charge Taliban tool Bowe Bergdahl with
desertion. I first reported on Bergdahl's betrayal and abandonment of his post in July 2009.
A military source tells me that the Obama administration has "slow rolled" the investigation and
prosecution — while withholding vital intelligence gathered from Bergdahl's debriefing
last summer. As the Obama administration dithers on the desertion charges, at least one of the
five Taliban terrorists the president exchanged for Bergdahl has reportedly returned to jihad.
The news comes this week as the White House adamantly refuses to call the Taliban a terrorist group.
Republicans
fume over ex-Gitmo inmate's Taliban outreach, WH says no regrets. Outraged Republicans
pointed to claims that one of five former Guantanamo prisoners traded for American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
tried to contact the Taliban as further evidence that the Obama administration made a "bad deal."
The White House and Pentagon, once again, on Friday [1/30/2015] defended the terms of that trade and
insisted that all five former detainees are in Qatar and accounted for — and have not
returned to the battlefield.
Official:
Gitmo prisoner traded for Bergdahl reaching out to Taliban. One of the five Taliban
fighters traded last year for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is trying to make contact with the Taliban once
again, Fox News has learned. A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the former Guantanamo
prisoner has been intercepted making telephone calls to the Taliban. The development comes amid
rising concerns over former Guantanamo detainees returning to the battlefield, and over the nature
of the Bergdahl-Taliban trade itself last year, which was negotiated with the involvement of the
Qatari government. Despite the apparent outreach by one of the traded prisoners, all five of the
so-called "Taliban 5" are still accounted for in Qatar, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.
World
War II's only execution for desertion. Whatever one may think about the status of Sgt.
Bergdahl with respect to whether his disappearance from his Afghanistan battlefield unit on June 30,
2009 was an act of desertion and may have led to the deaths of comrades looking for him, one fact is
clear: It's been more than six months since the Pentagon completed its investigation of the Bergdahl
matter, and no report has been issued to the public. Indeed, there may never be transparency of any
sort in this instance — an amazing turnabout from military history in general and [Private
Eddie] Slovik's case in particular.
Reporter
Asks Earnest: If Alan Gross Was at SOTU, Why Wasn't Bergdahl? At Thursday's
[1/29/2015] White House press briefing, Daily Mail reporter Francesca Chambers asked Press
Secretary Josh Earnest why recently-freed prisoner Alan Gross was invited to the State of the Union,
but Bowe Bergdahl was not. Bergdahl was freed last year in a prisoner swap with the Taliban, but
since then has been called a "deserter" for the actions that led to his capture. On Wednesday, NBC
News and Fox News both reported that Bergdahl had been charged with desertion, but the Army disputed
claims that he has been charged with desertion. Amid the conflicting information, Chambers sought
to figure out why Gross, who was recently brought back to the U.S. after spending five years in a Cuban
prison, was invited to the State of the Union, but Bergdahl was not.
Officials:
Detainee swapped for Bergdahl suspected of militant activities. The U.S. military and
intelligence community now suspect that one of the five Taliban detainees released from Guantanamo
Bay in return for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in May of last year has attempted to return to militant
activity from his current location in Qatar by making contact with suspected Taliban associates in
Afghanistan, multiple officials tell CNN. The development has led to an ongoing debate inside the
administration about whether there is a new threat from this man, and potentially the other four.
Obama
WH Hiding Bowe Bergdahl Charges — Treason Too? According to [retired Army
Lt. Col. Tony] Shaffer, an analyst with the London Center for Policy Research, White House Deputy
National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, who played a key role in the cover-up of administration
malfeasance in the Benghazi terrorist attack that killed four Americans, has been laboring to keep
this information under wraps as long as possible, perhaps to be included later in one of those
Friday data dumps the administration is famous for. We'd be stunned if any other decision were
reached, for the uncontestable fact is that Bergdahl walked away from his combat post in 2009 in a
time of war, leaving behind his weapon, his gear and his fellow soldiers. At least six soldiers
were reported to have been killed in operations looking for him. He was not out for a walk to
relieve stress or clear his head.
The
Illegal Bergdahl Deal: Sordid Details, Troubling Implications. Multiple news sources
are now reporting that the US Army is charging Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — the American soldier
handed over by terrorist hostage takers in exchange for the release of five high-ranking Taliban
commanders from Guantanamo Bay last spring — with desertion. This comes as no surprise
for those who followed the Bergdahl controversy closely; [...] The evidence of his desertion is overwhelming.
Other facts suggest that he may have crossed a line into active collaboration with the enemy.
Former
Army Ranger: US Should Execute Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. A former U.S. Army Ranger sniper
and author of a best-selling book about his combat tour in Afghanistan said yesterday that Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl should be executed if found guilty of deserting his unit in 2009.
Ex-Lt.
Col. Stands by Claim of Bergdahl Desertion Charge, Despite Denials. Last night,
retired Lieutenant Colonel Tony Shaffer told Bill O'Reilly he's learned that the U.S. Army is
charging Bowe Bergdahl with desertion. Bergdahl, you'll recall, was kidnapped by the Taliban several
years ago and brought home just last year in exchange for the release of five Taliban prisoners.
After Shaffer made that claim, NBC News reported the same thing early today [1/27/2015]. The Pentagon
repeatedly denied any official decision has been made, and they claimed there is no pressure to have a quick
decision on the matter.
Bowe
Bergdahl to be charged with desertion, retired officer tells Fox. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl,
who was released by the Taliban last year in exchange for five prisoners, is being charged with
desertion, retired Lt. Col. Tony Schaffer told Bill O'Reilly on "The O'Reilly Factor" Monday
[1/26/2015]. Mr. Shaffer, who now works for the London Center for Policy Research, said two
separate military sources have confirmed to him that Sgt. Bergdahl's attorney has been given a
"charge sheet," listing out the articles of the uniform military code that have been violated.
What
This Military Insider Just Told O'Reilly Means The Bergdahl Case Could Haunt Obama.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — the man Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice praised as
having served his country with "honor and distinction" — is officially being charged with
desertion, according to a Fox News report. It's a development that could mean another round of
scandal defense for President Obama.
Report:
Bergdahl To Be Charged With Desertion. On Monday's broadcast of "The O'Reilly Factor"
on the Fox News Channel, retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer of the London Center for Policy Research
revealed to host Bill O'Reilly that sources tell him U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will face charges
for desertion. Bergdahl was held captive by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Afghanistan
from June 2009 until his release in May 2014, which was part of a prisoner exchange for five Taliban
members who were being held at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.
Army
denies final decision on Bowe Bergdahl has been made. The U.S. Army is denying multiple media
reports that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be tried with desertion, pushing back broadly against reporting by Fox News,
NBC News and others as "patently false." Retired Lt. Col. Tony Schaffer told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly on
Monday [1/26/2015] that Sgt. Bergdahl's lawyers have been given a charge sheet.
Sand-Kicker in
Chief. A retired Army lieutenant colonel, Anthony Shaffer, whom FOX News uses
frequently to determine goings-on in the Pentagon, revealed last night that the Army is not the
culprit in the cover-up of the Bowe Bergdahl investigation. According to the colonel's internal
Pentagon sources, the Army has already charged Bergdahl with desertion but has been stymied in
pursuing the normal court-martial processes due to oppressive command influence from the White
House. According to Shaffer's sources, the immediate culprit is Ben Rhodes, current deputy
national security adviser for strategic communication for Barack Obama.
Pentagon:
Bergdahl has not been charged. Saying he wants to put a "fork" in reports about the
fate of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said Tuesday that "no
decision has been made" with respect to case. Kirby said there is no timeline to make that decisions
and Gen. Mark Milley is not under any pressure to make a decision.
[Is]
President Obama Hiding The Bowe Bergdahl Report? Last Sunday [1/11/2015], the chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, indicated that he expected a decision "fairly
soon" on whether the Army will court martial Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for allegedly deserting his post in
Afghanistan, or has cleared him, paving the way for separation from the service and back pay in
excess of $200,000. Moreover, a decision to clear Bergdahl may well open the door for him to be
designated a former prisoner of war, ensuring him substantial monthly pay, medical and educational
benefits for the rest of his life.
Is
nervous Obama White House holding Bergdahl report hostage? Last Sunday [1/11/2015],
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, indicated that he expected a
decision "fairly soon" on whether the Army will court martial Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for allegedly
deserting his post in Afghanistan, or has cleared him, paving the way for separation from the
service and back pay in excess of $200,000. Moreover, a decision to clear Bergdahl may well open the
door for him to be designated a former prisoner of war, ensuring him substantial monthly pay, medical and
educational benefits for the rest of his life. To those who have followed all angles of Bergdahl's
case, it appears the Army has a true dilemma on its hands, as does the Obama administration.
Obama
Still Determined to Close Guantanamo. For those keeping count, Obama has released a
total of 111 prisoners from Guantanamo, including the five he exchanged for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's
release, an American soldier held as a POW in Afghanistan. Obama was widely criticized for the
decision, which was perceived as his negotiating with the enemy. Guantanamo Bay prisoners are
placed there for a reason. [...]
Chuck
Hagel has been briefed on Bowe Bergdahl 'deserter' investigation that could see the sergeant take $300k in back pay. The
Pentagon has been briefed on an investigation into Sgt Bowe Bergdahl's disappearance from a base in Afghanistan five years ago.
Details about the probe's conclusion have been closely held. But they are likely to lay out whether Bergdahl deserted his post or was
'absent without leave' or AWOL. And it could include recommendations on whether Bergdahl should be charged with any criminal
violations or forced to leave the Army.
Bowe
Bergdahl Investigation Concludes, Charges Possible. The Army has concluded its lengthy
investigation into the disappearance of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in eastern Afghanistan and must
now decide whether Bergdahl should face criminal charges. Bergdahl reportedly walked away from his
base into the hands of the Taliban and was held hostage for five years. Based on the investigation,
the Army must now decide whether Bergdahl should be charged with desertion or a lesser charge of being
"absent without leave," AWOL.
The
CIA Interrogation Report VS. Bowe Bergdahl Report. As the CIA report is breathlessly
awaited by the leftist storytellers, and media — but I repeat myself, almost no-one is
asking about releasing the Army investigation into Bowe Bergdahl which has been complete for three
months. Obviously one report, the CIA report, allows a story to be told which will disparage
U.S. interests; the other report, Bergdahl, represents a political risk.
Answers
Needed On Bergdahl Ransom Payment. A House Armed Services Committee member asks for a
probe into reports that money was paid in a failed attempt to ransom alleged deserter Bowe Bergdahl.
And where's that Bergdahl investigation report, anyway?
Military
reviewing Bergdahl report including recommendations on whether punishment applies.
Nearly five months after the release of Taliban prisoner Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the military has
yet to release a report on Bergdahl leaving his Afghanistan post in 2009 that also makes
recommendations on whether he should be punished. The Pentagon says it is not holding up
the decision, though the review by Army Gen. Kenneth Dahl was finished in early October.
Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, recently acknowledged the report has been
completed and said it is under review.
Pentagon
got duped, made ransom payment for Bowe Bergdahl to con man. The ransom payment was
first disclosed by Rep. Duncan Hunter in a Nov. 5 letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Mr.
Hunter stated in the letter that Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) made the payment covertly
as part of a release deal. But the money was stolen by the Afghan intermediary claiming to represent
the Haqqani terrorist network.
As
War Heats Up, Obama Dismantles War Approach to Counterterrorism. The release in July
of five Taliban commanders in exchange for the deserter Bowe Bergdahl was intended to help Obama
achieve the vow to close Guantanamo Bay, made on his first day in office. (Actually, Obama promised
to close Gitmo within a year. He is five years behind schedule because Americans hate the idea,
igniting strong congressional opposition.)
Obama
Paid Money to Al Qaeda for Bergdahl Release. The Haqqani Network is worse than the
Taliban in some ways. It's a lot closer to Al Qaeda to the extent of nearly being it. It's also
responsible for killing a lot of people. Funding it is worse than funding the Taliban. But on top
of that, the whole thing also fell through which makes the entire operation look more like clown college
than ever with the whole thing culminating in the release of top Taliban leaders.
Why
hasn't Army's report on Bowe Bergdahl been released? The Army has apparently completed
its investigation of the circumstances surrounding the suspected desertion of Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl, but no one expects to see the results before Tuesday's elections. The last thing the Obama
administration wants now is a round of attention to the sordid details of another public-relations disaster.
One
Bad Apple: Obama and his Influence. Worst of all, however, is Obama's comfort with the
lie, his willingness to dissemble and to do it right in our faces. Truth? What's that? He doesn't
hesitate to hide things for electoral convenience (the Bergdahl investigation, for instance) — and he
does it even when he knows we know why he's doing it. He is unflinching in the face of video after video
showing him lying.
Army
Won't Release Bergdahl Findings Until Midterms. The Army has completed its
investigation into Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's abandonment of his Afghan post but will not release the
report until after the midterm elections lest it embarrass the Obama administration. The most
transparent administration in history — and arguably the most political — is
said to be sitting on a report on the completed investigation into Bergdahl's alleged desertion from
his Afghan post in order to potentially join our Taliban enemy.
Bowe
Bergdahl 'deserter' investigation is complete - but verdict will not be determined until after
November's elections. The Army completed its investigation last week into Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl's disappearance from a base in Afghanistan five years ago, but the Pentagon said Tuesday [10/14/2014]
that it doesn't know when the report will be released. "The investigating officer has done his
work, but now that work is moving through the Army system, and at each stop ... there will ... be
questions, requirements for clarification," Army Colonel Steve Warren told reporters. "So it's
working its way through the system as would any other investigation."
Army
Will Release Findings of Bergdahl Investigation After Lengthy' Review Process. The
U.S. Army will make public the results of its investigation into Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's alleged
desertion of a base in Afghanistan and subsequent capture by Taliban militants in 2009. A
Pentagon spokesperson clarified that, contrary to various media reports, the U.S. Army will release
a report by Brig. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, the investigating officer, but only after a review process that
will assess the accuracy of the findings is completed. It is uncertain when that will be.
The Editor says...
There can be no doubt that the "review process" will continue until after the mid-term election.
Bowe
Bergdahl Desertion Investigation Complete — But With Election Day Looming Report Will Not
Be Released. The Army has completed its investigation into Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's 2009
disappearance from his post in Afghanistan that led to his subsequent capture by the Taliban,
according to a news report Thursday [10/9/2014]. A report by the investigating officer, Brig.
Gen. Kenneth Dahl, is now being reviewed by commanders, but will not be released, according to the
San Antonio Express-News.
Obama's
Bowe Bergdahl powder keg. U.S. Army Pvt. Bowe Bergdahl was described as a hero by
President Obama in a White House Rose Garden ceremony this past summer. This was nothing more than a
dishonest stage-managed public relations stunt featuring the president and Bergdahl's grateful parents.
Against strong objections from some U.S. military advisers, the president released five dangerous senior Taliban
prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl.
Is Obama whitewashing a
traitor? Three and a half months have come and gone and the Pentagon has offered no clarity on what happened to
alleged Army deserter and Taliban collaborator Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Fellow soldiers and other critics fear the military's
now-delayed investigation is shaping up to be a whitewash. The case has become a political powder keg for President Obama.
Obama's Good and
Bad Touch. Not since a large segment of American citizens formed a confederacy and
went to war against the United States has an American military commander acted so openly and
aggressively against national security as did President Obama in the Bergdahl case — not only in
swapping a suspected deserter for a jihadist dream team, but in facilitating Bob Bergdahl's
treacherous behavior for the world to watch. Mr. Bergdahl opened with a blatant insult to
listeners' intelligence by stating that his son was having a hard time remembering English. Bowe
Bergdahl would have been thinking in English throughout his captivity and would certainly not have
forgotten his native language. Besides, Bob Bergdahl spoke Arabic in the White House Rose Garden,
not the Pashto language of his son's Taliban captors, as the President smiled in appreciation.
House
Pushes Resolution Condemning Obama for Swap. The Republican-controlled House voted
Tuesday to condemn President Barack Obama for failing to give 30-day notice to Congress about the
exchange in May of American prisoner Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban leaders held at the U.S. prison
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Obama's
5 Worst Foreign Policy Decisions. [#2] The Bowe Bergdahl swap: There's a reason that it is our
nation's policy not to negotiate with terrorists. If you reward terrorists for their terrorism, it encourages more
of the same. So, when Barack Obama broke the law to release five Taliban generals in return for deserter Bowe Bergdahl,
he served notice to every terrorist on the planet that kidnapping Americans could pay big dividends.
So Then What About
Bowe Bergdahl? The ISIS/ISIL nuts are not above trading a hostage for American dollars
to later use against us. They made a ransom demand to the United States. CNN's Crossfire tweeted out
the response from the spokesman for President Obama's National Security Council. "[The U.S.] does
not grant concessions to hostage takers.... Doing so would only put more Americans at risk of being
taken captive," said the spokesman. So then why did we trade several terrorists from GTMO for Bowe
Bergdahl?
Obama's unlawful
Bergdahl-for-terrorists swap. President Obama was wrong earlier this year to trade
five hardened terrorists from the prison at Guantanamo Bay for a deserter. All but the president's
most dedicated supporters understood then that the trade was a really bad idea. Now, the nonpartisan
Government Accountability Office has confirmed what many suspect, that the swap violated a "clear
and unambiguous" law. For this White House, the law is little more than an annoyance to be swatted
away when inconvenient. Mr. Obama makes and remakes the law as he goes along. Congress has allowed
itself to become irrelevant.
WH
Rules: Violation in Terrorist Swap Punishable By Jail, Suspension, Removal of Office.
The law violated by the Obama administration when it secretly exchanged five Guantanamo terrorists
for an Army solider captured by the Taliban after deserting his post is punishable by jail, suspension
and removal of office, according to written White House rules. The nonpartisan investigative arm of
Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), confirmed this week that the president broke a "clear
and unambiguous" law when he swapped the high-level terrorists for Bowe Bergdahl, an Army sergeant who
went AWOL in Afghanistan in 2009.
Obama
rejects finding that he broke the law in Bergdahl swap. The White House on Friday [8/22/2014]
rejected findings by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) that President Obama broke the
law when he swapped Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban leaders from Guantánamo Bay. [...] The GAO
report, released Thursday, said the Pentagon violated a law that requires the administration to inform Congress
at least 30 days before any prisoner exchange from Guantánamo Bay. It also said the Defense
Department wrongly used $988,400 from a wartime appropriations to facilitate the transfer.
NBC
and ABC Ignore Obama Admin. Broke Law With Bergdahl Exchange; CBS Gives It 24 Seconds.
After Thursday's [2/21/2014] network evening newscasts ignored a report from the Government
Accountability Office that the exchange of five terrorists from Guantanamo Bay for Army Sergeant
Bowe Bergdahl was illegal, NBC's Today and ABC's Good Morning America remained silent
on the Obama administration scandal on Friday [8/22/2014]. Only CBS This Morning made
any mention of the violation of federal law, providing a mere 24-second news brief on the topic.
Congress
passes laws for reasons and Obama must obey them. On Thursday [8/21/2014], the GAO
wrote in response to queries from Republican senators that in ordering the [Bergdahl] trade, President Obama
violated two laws. First, he violated the funding law for the Department of Defense this year, which
forbade funds from being used to release detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay without 30 days'
prior notification to Congress. In doing so, he also violated the Anti-deficiency Act, which
bars all executive branch employees from spending money for purposes that Congress has not approved.
As GAO put it, the meaning of the law that was broken is "clear and unambiguous."
GAO:
Obama Broke the Law in Bergdahl Swap. The Government Accountability Office has handed
down its verdict over whether the swap of terrorists for Bowe Bergdahl was legal. The question
centers on whether the administration was in the right, legally, when it failed to give Congress 30 days
notice that terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay would be released.
Bergdahl
exchange violated federal law, legal opinion says. President Obama's decision to
exchange captive Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Guantanamo Bay detainees violated federal law,
according to a legal opinion the Government Accountability Office sent to Congress Thursday.
That's because the administration failed to notify Congress at least 30 days before the transfer, as
required under a law passed in February. The Pentagon notified Congress of the deal on May 31,
the same day the transfer was made. And because Congress did not authorize spending for the exchange,
it also violated the Antideficiency Act, a law intended to protect Congress's power of the purse.
The Department of Defense spent $988,400 on the transfer, the Pentagon told the GAO.
Feds:
Obama Broke Law with Bergdahl Swap. President Obama violated a "clear and unambiguous"
law when he released five Guantanamo Bay detainees in exchange for Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the
Government Accountability Office reported Thursday [8/21/2014]. "[The Department of Defense]
violated section 8111 because it did not notify the relevant congressional committees at least
30 days in advance of the transfer," the GAO report said. "In addition, because DOD used
appropriated funds to carry out the transfer when no money was available for that purpose, DOD violated
the Antideficiency Act. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from incurring obligations
exceeding an amount available in an appropriation."
Bowe Bergdahl
reveals what he wants to do next. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl plans to get out of the Army and
pursue a college education once the investigation into his disappearance is completed, his lawyer
told CBS News. In a phone interview Tuesday, attorney Gene Fidell said that his client feels like
he is in a holding pattern and wants to get on with his life. On Tuesday [8/19/2014], the Army
said that its senior leadership had been informed that the Army investigator, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl,
felt that he has further work to do and will now likely submit his report in September.
Platoon
mates critical of Bergdahl can't get a book deal. Six former platoon mates of Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl have hit roadblocks in shopping proposals for their book, because some publishers are
reportedly afraid it will discredit President Obama. [...] "I'm not sure we can publish this book
without the Right using it to their ends," Sarah Durand, a senior editor at Atria Books, a division
of Simon & Schuster, wrote in an email to one of the soldiers' agents, Yahoo News reported.
The Army's Bergdahl
Problem. If Bergdahl is a deserter or even a traitor, many Americans wonder why he
still in the Army, or feel that if he wears a uniform it should be in a stockade. Other people,
mainly on the left, see Bergdahl as a hero. Also, regardless of how Bergdahl ended up with the
Taliban, he might have critical intelligence for the United States, making him valuable. Thus,
Bergdahl's case presents a perplexing problem for the Army. In the end, I suspect, the final
outcome of this case will not please those who, like the president, think Bergdahl is a hero, or
many veterans and other Americans, who see Bergdahl as a deserter and traitor.
Bowe
Bergdahl read Miranda rights during first interview with Army investigator on 2009 capture. Five
years after Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was mysteriously taken captive by members of the Taliban while serving in Afghanistan,
the Army's expected to get some answers on how it happened. The 28-year-old was read his Miranda rights during
his first interview with Army investigator Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl while at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, his attorney
said Wednesday [8/6/2014]. "He waived his right to remain silent and answered every question that was put to him,"
attorney Eugene Fidell told the Daily News while calling the interview an "intelligent effort to get to the facts."
Getting to the truth
of Bowe Bergdahl. More than two months after Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was freed from
Afghan captivity — in exchange for five high-value Taliban militants at Gitmo —
he was at last questioned by the Army about the details of his capture. The so-called
AR 15-6 hearing will determine if, prior to that capture, Bergdahl deserted his post and
might therefore face a court martial. Count on The New York Times to present Bergdahl's
side in as flattering a way as possible, including assurances from Bergdahl's lawyer that his
client answered all questions and didn't invoke his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
Bergdahl's
Reemergence Stirs Ghosts of Benghazi. Like Benghazi, the controversy over the swap doesn't
seem to be going away. The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) marked up a resolution condemning
the President for, among other things, negotiating with terrorists and not providing Congress due notice for
the transfer of the five terrorists to Qatar, who are to remain there under house arrest for a year.
Qatar is notorious for its support of the Muslim Brotherhood and its propaganda channels, Al Jazeera and
Al Jazeera America. And, as the Citizens' Commission on Benghazi highlighted in its Interim Report,
when the U.S. decided to facilitate arms to al Qa'eda|linked terrorists in Libya, it worked with none other
than Qatar. How are we supposed to trust that these five will not expand their terror network while
living in Qatar?
Bergdahl read his
rights. The Army read former Afghanistan prisoner of war Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl his rights
during his first interview with an investigator on Wednesday [8/6/2014]. The Army is investigating
the circumstances of Bergdahl's disappearance from his base in Afghanistan and his subsequent capture by
the Taliban in 2009. Some former members of his unit allege that Bergdahl, 28, deserted his post,
which could be an offense punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Bergdahl
Roommate: Chairman of Joint Chiefs Told Us Bowe Was A Deserter. Then-chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen admitted that Bowe Berghdal was a deserter, and said
that he did not know why the military was focusing so much energy on trying to save him, according
to one of Bergdahl's platoon mates. "The joint chief of staff, Admiral Mullen at the time.
He came out to our unit and had Thanksgiving dinner, and he said, 'Yeah he walked off, everybody knows he
walked off, I don't know why they're trying to'" pretend that he didn't, Bergdahl's former infantry
roommate Cody Full told The Daily Caller.
Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl to be formally questioned on Wednesday in 'desertion' probe. Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl will be formally questioned by an Army investigator on Wednesday [8/6/2014] about his 2009
disappearance in Afghanistan. Bergdahl will be interviewed by Major General Kenneth Dahl, who was
appointed to head up the AR 15-6 investigation into the circumstances leading up to his captivity.
Taliban
prisoner traded for Bowe Bergdahl a dangerous psychopath: Army colonel. In a pointed
assessment, an Army colonel advising the National Security Council says one of the Taliban prisoners
released in the Obama administration's deal to free Army Sgt. Bowe Berghdal is a "psychopath" who
poses a "danger to fellow Afghans." Army Col. Mark Mitchell, director for counterterrorism at the
National Security Council, is a Green Beret who helped capture Mullah Mohammad Fazl in the early days of
the war in Afghanistan. In an interview with The Washington Times, Col. Mitchell offered a frank
description of Fazl, calling him "a petty tyrant who justified his psychopathic behavior using a
veneer of religion" who lost his stature and influence after his 2001 capture.
Driving Off a
Cliff. Last week, The Washington Post's Tehran, Iran, correspondent was arrested. [...] The
administration's limp response to this obvious provocation would surprise no one. It has failed to
secure the releases of so many Americans. The one captive who was freed, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, seemed to have been
exchanged not so much for his own sake but rather as a convenient excuse for releasing several of Guantanamo Bay's worst.
House
Panel Condemns Obama For Bergdahl Swap With Taliban. The Republican-led Armed Services
Committee backed a nonbinding resolution that disapproves of the exchange and faults Obama for
failing to notify Congress 30 days in advance of the swap, as required by law.
Bowe Bergdahl could be questioned
next week about capture. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could meet next week with the general
who's looking into how the now-freed prisoner of war was captured by the Taliban in 2009, his
attorney said. Attorney Eugene Fidell told CNN he will know for sure next week exactly when the
meeting will take place. When it happens, it'll be the first meeting between Bergdahl and Maj.
Gen. Kenneth Dahl who is the point person for the Army's investigation.
Bergdahl's
complicated story no simpler in Texas. From the announcement that the administration
had traded five Taliban commanders for Bergdahl's release, his story has been anything but simple.
Several members of his unit stepped forward to accuse him of abandoning his post, which could be
interpreted as desertion, a death-penalty-eligible offense in wartime. Fellow soldiers, they said,
were killed or injured trying to rescue him. Some said they were particularly offended by Obama's
photo op with the Bergdahls. The story has mostly simmered since Bergdahl's transport to Germany
and move to Texas, but new twists are emerging. For one, Bergdahl has been returned to active-duty
status and has a desk job at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. The Army says this completes his
transition from prisoner of war.
Bowe Bergdahl's
Duty — and Ours. Bowe Bergdahl has been returned to "active duty."
Apparently, that means a desk job while the Army considers what should be done with this young
enlisted soldier. Bergdahl was held for five years by the Taliban since walking away from his post
one night in 2009. President Obama greeted Bergdahl's relieved parents in Rose Garden at the White
House in a move that was widely criticized. And that was even before Americans learned that the
Obama administration had traded young Bergdahl for five of the most murderous Taliban detainees from
our facility at Guantanamo Bay.
Parents
of former POW Bergdahl strained by his silence. Freed war prisoner Bowe Bergdahl has not yet
reached out to his parents who campaigned hard for his freedom and who hold out hope he will eventually contact
them once fully recovered from trauma inflicted by his Taliban captors, a family friend said on Friday [7/18/2014].
Bowe
Bergdahl Thanks Obama for 'Saving His Life'. U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has a new lawyer to
defend him as the Army investigates the circumstances surrounding his kidnapping by the Taliban in 2009.
And the former hostage wants President Obama to know that he is grateful the U.S. government traded five Taliban
commanders in exchange for his release in May.
Hagel
quietly notifies Congress of transfer of 6 Gitmo detainees. Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel quietly notified Congress last week that the military is set to transfer six Guantanamo Bay
prisoners to Uruguay as soon as next month, The New York Times revealed Wednesday [7/16/2014]. The
deal has been waiting for Mr. Hagel's approval since March, but stalled after the Obama administration
received a wave of backlash for releasing five Taliban detainees to Qatar in exchange for the release
[of] Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The administration did not give Congress 30-days notice in that
deal, but argued it was still legal because any delay could have risked Sgt. Bergdahl's life.
Lawyer: Bergdahl 'Deeply Grateful' to Obama.
No one's heard anything yet from Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the former prisoner-of-war freed in a May 31 swap for five
Taliban leaders after nearly five years as a Taliban prisoner. He hasn't spoken to the press — by all
accounts, he hasn't even spoken to his parents. But, in typical American fashion, he has retained —
and spoken to — an attorney.
Bowe
Bergdahl retains Yale military law expert as his attorney. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, freed
after years of captivity in Afghanistan and returned to active duty this week, has retained an
attorney — a military law expert from Yale. Eugene Fidell, who teaches military
justice at Yale Law School, told the Los Angeles Times that he has been representing Bergdahl for
about a week and is working pro bono.
This
Is What Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's Life Will Be Like Now. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will work a
"desk job" now that he has completed his reintegration process and returned to regular duties as an
Army soldier, the Army said today [7/14/2014]. The former Taliban prisoner will be assigned to
the headquarters of U.S. Army North at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Bergdahl has been
assigned to the command to do administrative duties commensurate with his rank as a sergeant,
Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said. "To use a slang term, he'll be working a
desk job," Warren added.
Bowe
Bergdahl Has Refused to Speak to [his] Parents. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl hasn't spoken to
his family since he was released from captivity in Pakistan, according to an Army official. Sgt.
Bergdahl has refused to see his parents or speak to them on the phone, the official said. The
decision by Sgt. Bergdahl, who returned to regular duty on Monday, suggests a deeper estrangement
between the soldier and his parents than the military understood when he was released. Still,
officials said, they don't know the precise cause of the tension or when it began.
Bowe Bergdahl
Is Returning to Active Duty. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is set to return to active duty,
most likely to a desk job in Fort Sam Houston. Bergdahl will have free reign to leave base without
an escort, though winding up in as much trouble in San Antonio as he did when he disappeared from
his base in Afghanistan will require a hefty helping of Lone Star.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
Returned To Regular Army Duty. The Army has given Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl a desk job,
ending the formal phase of his transition from Taliban prisoner to not-quite-ordinary soldier, and
setting the stage for Army investigators to question the Idaho native about his disappearance that
led to five years in captivity.
Slain
Soldier's Family 'Furious' Bowe Bergdahl on Active Duty. The family of a soldier who
blame Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for their son's death said Monday they are "furious" he has been
returned to active duty while an investigation into his capture by the Taliban continues. "This is
another attempt to give credibility to a deserter to protect the decision to free five extremely
dangerous Taliban," Sondra Andrews, mother of fallen 2nd Lt. Darryn Andrews, told NBC News. "I just
don't think it's right that he's free and collecting pay." Her son was killed in eastern Afghanistan
in September 2009, and members of his platoon told the family that he was searching for Bergdahl
when he was ambushed.
Ex-Taliban
prisoner Bergdahl to return to Army life, before report on his disappearance. Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl has returned to military duty, six weeks after his release as a Taliban prisoner, the
Army announced Monday [7/14/2014]. Bergdahl has completed his therapy and counseling sessions at an Army
hospital at Fort Sam Houston, in Texas, since being returned by the Taliban on May 31. He
spent five years in captivity and will start a job at the base as early as Monday, as reported first by The New
York Times. Officials say Bergdahl's return to work is part of his reintegration into Army life.
No,
the military did not 'support' the Bergdahl exchange — it wasn't asked. [Scroll
down] In other words — except for Gen. Dempsey and Admiral Winnefeld — our top
military leaders were not asked before the fact what they thought. It's not accurate to say they
"supported" the decision, because they were not asked. They were not "consulted in any way" before
the fact. Rather, they were asked to endorse the decision publicly after the fact. Big
difference. What is this, North Korea? The great leader makes a decision and then demands a
public loyalty oath from his generals?
Bergdahl
could get $350G tax-free, if cleared by Army. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could have a
tax-free $350,000 dropped into his bank account if the current investigation into his disappearance
from his base in Afghanistan was not desertion, and if he is deemed to have been a prisoner of war
for the five years he was held by Islamic militants, Fox News has learned. The 28-year-old
soldier, for whom the U.S. traded five senior Taliban operatives held at Guantanamo Bay, was set to
return to active duty Monday [7/14/2014] after spending six weeks in medical rehab at Fort Sam Houston, in San
Antonio. "Essentially he'll be working a desk job," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told
reporters at the Pentagon Monday [7/14/2014].
Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl smiles with Taliban official in "captivity" pic. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who
was held captive by the Taliban for nearly five years, is seen in a new image mugging for a picture
with a jolly jihadi who — has his arm resting casually on Bergdahl's shoulder. The
bro-hug was posted Wednesday to the Twitter — account of someone associated with the
Islamic Emirate of — Afghanistan, according to Fox News.
Our
Roost, Obama's Chickens. [Scroll down] Few noted that Obama lied to the nation that
a video had caused the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, that Obama had known who the real
terrorist perpetrators were but had ordered no immediate action to kill or capture them, and that
Americans had been engaged in mysterious and still unexplained covert activities in Benghazi. After
all that, we still shrugged when the president traded five top terrorist leaders for an alleged
American deserter.
Bergdahl
taking trips to S.A. restaurants, stores. The Army said Wednesday that Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl, the American POW released in a prisoner swap with the Taliban, has gone into San Antonio
for dinners and other excursions, and that he has been welcomed by people he meets. So far,
Bergdahl has left Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston about 10 times as part of a carefully
staged plan to help him readjust to freedom.
Soldiers
who served with Bowe Bergdahl not yet contacted by military investigators. Several
soldiers who immediately came forward after Bergdahl was released on May 31, in a swap for five
Guantanamo Bay detainees, have accused the 28-year-old Idaho native of deserting. But even though
the Army is probing that very charge, investigators have not reached out to at least two former Army
sergeants — including the platoon's leader — who served alongside Bergdahl on
June 30, 2009, when he disappeared from his post in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province.
"There's only a handful of us who were actually there and we haven't been contacted yet," former
Army Sgt. Evan Buetow told FoxNews.com.
Recently released Bergdahl venturing off-base, rubbing
elbows with public. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier held captive for five years by militants before his release a month
ago, has ventured several times off an Army base in Texas as part of the effort to get him used to everyday life in America, a military
spokeswoman said. His release on May 31 in exchange for five Taliban being held by the U.S. military has rankled some,
including former members of his unit, who said he was a deserter who endangered colleagues searching for him.
Inside
the Other Bergdahl Negotiations. While the U.S. government was negotiating with
Taliban representatives on the controversial prisoner swap that set Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl free,
Bergdahl's family opened up a separate channel to the Taliban to try to buy his freedom with cash,
according to two sources with knowledge of the case. This channel of negotiations has not been
previously reported. It was focused on winning Bergdahl's freedom with a $10 million ransom
to be paid by private sources, not U.S. government money, the sources say. These talks started
in 2012 and continued until May 2014.
Report:
Bowe Bergdahl's father was working on raising a $10 million ransom for his son. So
there was a ransom in the works. Fox News heard whispers about that soon after Bergdahl was
released. So did the Free Beacon, from an intel official who speculated that a criminal syndicate
like the Haqqani Network would have been much more interested in cash than prisoners. If you
believe BuzzFeed, though, it wasn't the U.S. government that was considering a ransom, it was
Bergdahl's father. And it's unclear if it was a pipe dream or something he might have actually
pulled off.
Bergdahl is warned
his statements could be used in his prosecution. Under investigation for possible
desertion, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been warned that incriminating statements he makes as he
undergoes treatment after nearly five years in Taliban captivity could be used to prosecute him,
Army officials said Wednesday [6/25/2014]. Bergdahl has not been formally told that he can have
a defense attorney and other rights, although his disappearance from a base in eastern Afghanistan in
2009 is under investigation, said the officials, who asked that their names not be disclosed in
discussing Bergdahl's case with reporters.
Army
Clears Bergdahl of Any Misconduct During Captivity. As the Army continues to investigate
whether Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is guilty of deserting his unit, this afternoon [6/25/2014] they said there is no reason
to believe that Bergdahl engaged in any misconduct during his five years in captivity.
Bowe Bergdahl remains
in legal limbo. Senior Army officials said Wednesday [6/25/2014] that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has
not yet been interviewed by the two-star general appointed last week to investigate the matter.
The Editor asks...
If he has not been interviewed, how can he be cleared of any misconduct?
State
Department Spokeswoman Refuses to Apologize to Bowe Bergdahl's Platoon. At the time
of their statements, State Department Deputy Press Secretary Marie Harf was asked during a press
conference about the knowledge the platoon members had surrounding Bergdahl's alleged desertion.
She dismissed their statements as non-credible and the men were framed by the administration as
liars. Obama White House allies went so far as to call the platoon members "psychopaths."
Last night Harf made an appearance on The Kelly File to talk about the ongoing crisis in Iraq but
near the end of the interview, Megyn Kelly asked if she wanted to apologize to the platoon members,
who took offense to her classification. Harf refused to apologize.
Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to Be Treated as Outpatient. An Army spokesperson released a statement on
Sunday [6/22/2014] saying that Bergdahl will undergo "continued reintegration and medical care."
He will slowly be exposed to more people and "a gradual increase of social interactions."
U.S.
troops set stunning record in evading capture by Taliban. On June 30, 2009, the day Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
walked into captivity, American forces in Afghanistan had not allowed a single service member to fall into enemy hands.
Since July 1, 2009, the U.S. has not had a second prisoner of war in that country — a remarkable record,
given it is America's longest war against foes who seek hostages.
The Editor says...
Bergdahl wasn't "captured," in my opinion, if he deserted. Even the writer of the article immediately above states that
Mr. Bergdahl "walked into captivity." There is a big difference between that and being captured.
You
Bet This is Swiftboating. The left has reacted to the embarrassing truth about
Bergdahl by: (a) Denouncing Republican congressmen who initially posted happy tweets about
Bergdahl's release, and then deleted those tweets — probably on orders from Fox News!
(b) Accusing Bergdahl's displeased Army comrades of "swiftboating." Yes, exactly. This is
precisely what "swiftboating" is: The truth about a serviceman from the people who actually served with
him. Similarly, the attacks on John Kerry came from the men he served with, not the Republican Party.
The
Difficult Reintegration of American POW Bowe Bergdahl. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is the
longest-held captive to be returned to the United States since Vietnam. Last week, the 28-year-old
Idahoan arrived at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he is being
eased back into life outside of captivity.
Bowe
Bergdahl's platoon-mate testifies before Congress that he should face 8 criminal charges including
desertion. A member of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's platoon during his deployment in
Afghanistan told a congressional panel on Wednesday that he should be tried in a military court on
eight separate criminal charges. Cody Full, who served with Bergdahl and has become an outspoken
critic of the Idaho native's actions beginning in 2009, said in a joint hearing of two House Armed
Services subcommittees that Bergdahl 'intentionally deserted' his unit before his capture. In
addition to a desertion charge that could theoretically bring the death penalty, Full said Bergdahl
should face trial for disrespecting his superior officers, disobeying orders, insubordination and
willfully disobeying superior officers.
'Shut
Up and Stand Back': GOP Rep. Rips WH for Going After Bergdahl Platoon. There have
been reports in past weeks that the White House believes all the attacks on Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl,
even from his fellow platoon members, are just "swift boat" attacks and politically motivated.
Well, during a hearing on Bergdahl today, Republican Congressman Tom Cotton told the White House to
put up or shut up with that accusation. Cotton said it's "offensive and insulting' to him,
as an Army veterans, that the White House would justify the "no man left behind" principle because when
soldiers made those promises to each other, "we didn't promise that we would exchange five stone-cold
Taliban killers for each other, nor would any soldier want that to happen.
Bergdahl
Roommate: Bergdahl a Deserter Who Should Be Prosecuted. Retired Spc. Cody Full, who
served with Berdgahl in the Blackfoot Company and was his roommate, declared that Bergdahl's
"desertion was premeditated" and that the released U.S. soldier "should not be characterized as
serving with honor and distinction," as Obama administration officials have maintained. "The
facts tell me that Bergdahl's desertion was premeditated," Full told lawmakers on the House Foreign
Affairs Committee. "It is clear to me that he had a plan and executed it."
Obama
listens to no one, and chaos ensues. When a president decides to ignore the advice of military and
intelligence professionals and shut out Congress, he can hardly complain when things go very, very wrong.
That is essentially what has happened with respect to the Taliban trade debacle.
Father
to Tell Congress Son Killed Searching for Bergdahl. On Sept. 4, 2009, Army 2nd Lt.
Darryn Andrews was killed by an IED and RPG attack in Paktika province, Afghanistan. Today
[6/18/2014], his father Andy is expected to tell lawmakers that he believes his son was killed
while on a mission to find Bowe Bergdahl, just a few months after he had slipped into the hands of
the Taliban after apparently leaving his base in Paktika.
The
Real Motive For The Obama Administration's Recent Arrest. Ahmed Abu Khattala is
directly connected to the covert transfer of U.S. arms from Qatar to Libya in the initial 2011
decision to arm the Benghazi "rebels". Against the backdrop of recent discoveries about Qatar
giving some of the aforementioned arms, specifically stinger missiles, to the Taliban in
Afghanistan — Khattala became a risk of exposure to the White House. They needed to
throw a bag over him.
Frappe
Sipping Benghazi Terrorist Was Reportedly Offended By A Youtube Video. David
Kirkpatrick, the reporter who wrote the widely derided "clear the decks for Hillary" piece in the
New York Times, last December, resurrected the narrative that Ahmed Abu Khattala, the captured
terrorist, was motivated by the infamous Youtube video based on the dubious claims Khattala made
himself in the days after the attack.
It
Took 645 Days to Arrest Benghazi Terrorist, 16 Days to Arrest Filmmaker. The Benghazi
attack happened on Sep. 11, 2012. 16 days later, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the man who made the
YouTube video that Obama and Clinton blamed for the Benghazi attack, was arrested and jailed as a
"danger to the community." 645 days later, the U.S. finally captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, the
terrorist believed responsible for the attack, in which four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador
to Libya Christopher Stevens, were killed.
Catch and Release.
President Obama justified his release of the Taliban's top terrorists on among other curious
grounds that U.S. forces could just capture them again should they pose a risk to U.S. interests
and security in the future. It doesn't seem to bother Obama that such a careless policy means
burdening soldiers with the demoralizing and exceedingly dangerous task of having to fight the same
enemy multiple times.
Saving
Private Bergdahl. Recently I received the following email from a service member I
have known for years whose career in a special-operations unit was ended when he was wounded in
July 2009: "The night I was shot, I was on a rescue mission to save Bowe Bergdahl. He is a
deserter. The information I was given before I went on the mission told me as much. He
willingly walked off his base. More than a few service-members risked their lives trying
to find/rescue him."
The Madness of King George.
It's one thing to make a bad decision, like the Bowe Bergdahl trade. It's another thing to spike
the football as though he were proud of it, to disregard a statute he signed, to send out Susan
Rice to lie for him, to ignore those who had died trying to rescue a seeming deserter, to accuse
Bergdahl's fellow soldiers of "swift boating," and finally to suggest that anyone who objected to
the trade was simply an Obama-hater. That takes moral and political obtuseness to an entirely
new level.
Jeanine
Pirro: I'm Worried — And You should Be Too. Judge Jeanine Pirro let Obama
have it on Saturday night's [6/14/2014] installment of Justice for squandering all of the
hard fought and won gains in Iraq, and endangering American lives in the process. "You know me,"
Pirro said, "most of the time, I'm fearless. I've spent most my life, fighting, investigating,
prosecuting and sentencing the worst of the worst. But tonight, I'm worried." "Our
president has literally replenished the enemy at a time of war," she said.
Sgt. Bergdahl's
Post-Dramatic Stress. In Bergdahl's feverish imagination, which he was tragically allowed to enact,
he was a magnificently skilled survivalist who also solved the problem of war in his environmentally and socially
sensitive walk about the new world order. He played the role with dramatic flair. Mr. Bergdahl is not
suffering from a clinical delusion associated with a major mental disorder. He is simply a product of a
culture in which young people have nothing to learn and in which the only thing that matters is self-directed
meaning-making. The death and destruction Bergdahl caused are merely interesting teachers on his journey
of self-discovery.
Army general tapped to
investigate how, why Bowe Bergdahl left base. Bergdahl went missing on June 30, 2009,
in Afghanistan's Paktika province, where he was deployed with the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry
Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. An Army fact-finding investigation
conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded he left his outpost deliberately and of
his own free will, according to an official who was briefed on the report. The Army has no
definitive finding that Bergdahl deserted because that would require knowing his intent —
something officials couldn't learn without talking to the soldier, a U.S. military official recently told CNN.
Bergdahl Was Released from Coast Guard Due to Psychological
Unfitness;. So, he had a screw loose. AllahPundit notes this might be a mark in his
favor — because he never should have been let into the Army at all. He seems to have
been unfit for duty from the start, but given the strains our all-volunteer army were under in Iraq
and Afghanistan, recruiters got less choosey than they might otherwise have been. The Coast Guard
decided he was not psychologically up for the job of protecting the nation's shores. Obviously then
he's not up to toting a gun in a barbarous mountain wasteland.
Bergdahl
Has Not Been Reunited With His Parents. As the Idaho native completed the first two
phases of what the Army calls reintegration at a military hospital in Germany, debate has raged
about the murky circumstances of his capture and the Taliban prisoner swap that secured his
freedom, officials said. Base officials said Bergdahl will be exposed to the controversy very
gradually, and he will be allowed to set the pace of his "reintegration" and debriefing.
Actual
Intel Reports On Bergdahl's Captivity Surface. Blackfive has obtained the actual
intel reports on Bowe Bergdahl's captivity with the Haqqani network. As Jim notes in the post, the
reports are compiled in order to help develop a picture of his captivity; they're not the full
picture. [...] One of the other reports states that Bergdahl had converted to Islam and called
himself a jihadist, as has been reported elsewhere. The question regarding that is, did he do
that in sincerity, in order to curry favor with his captors (he did try to escape more than once),
or for some other reason.
Bergdahl
arrived home less welcome than before. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army soldier traded in
the release of five Taliban terrorists, arrived at a San Antonio military hospital early this
morning for further reintegration. The former private, who disappeared from his guard post in
Afghanistan, was routinely promoted to sergeant during his five years of custody by the Taliban. He
will reside at Brooke Army Medical Center for an unspecified time. Thirteen days ago President
Obama jubilantly announced his prisoner deal with the Taliban in a nationally-televised Rose Garden
photo-op with Bergdahl's parents in attendance.
More Unraveling.
As the Obama administration's case for the Bowe Bergdahl-Taliban prisoner exchange further
unraveled last week, the geo-political implications of the deal became clearer.
They're not pretty.
Daughter
of first American killed in Afghanistan learns freed Taliban leader was behind it.
Alison Spann was just 9 when she learned her father, a U.S. Marine turned CIA operative, had become
the first American killed in the war in Afghanistan. Thirteen years later, she found out her
country had freed the Taliban leader behind his death. In the time between, Spann has cherished
the memory of her father, Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann, who was killed during a Nov. 25, 2001
prisoner uprising at a northern Afghanistan compound where he was interrogating Taliban fighters.
Congressman
Delivers Major Blows to the Obama Admin's Excuses for Taliban 5 Release. REp. Randy
Forbes (R-VA) took Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to task Wednesday [6/11/2014] over the release of the
"Taliban Five" in the Bergdahl trade. At the heart of the fiery exchange was a national intelligence
assessment that four of the five terrorists would return to the battlefield to fight against American
forces. Forbes asked Hagel if the military would risk American lives to recapture any of
the five, if necessary. As the Defense Secretary tried to dodge the question, Forbes persisted.
A beleaguered Hagel finally conceded: "Yes."
Obama
Quits Afghanistan. Bringing Bergdahl home is part of sporadic negotiations with the
Taliban about easing Americans out of the war, and also useful for closing down Guantanamo. Obama
is wagering that the public does not care all that much whether Bergdahl is a deserter. Or whether
the administration has negotiated with terrorists such as the Haqqani network or the Taliban. Or
whether the released Taliban militants will soon return to fight in Afghanistan. Obama is also
betting that Americans are sick of Afghanistan, and don't really care how American soldiers leave
or what they leave behind, as long as they all leave.
In
Bowe Bergdahl hearing, Chuck Hagel hedges the tough questions. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
is not a lawyer. He's not famous for lawyerly evasions. But when it came to a few of the most
critical issues discussed at the House Armed Services Committee's hearing on the Bowe Bergdahl case Wednesday [6/11/2014],
Hagel was full of wiggle words. Actually, just one wiggle word — "direct" —
but Hagel used it repeatedly to sow confusion about some key questions.
Sgt.
Bergdahl headed back to U.S., Pentagon says. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has left Germany and
is expected to arrive in the United States sometime early Friday, Rear Adm. John Kirby, the
Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday [6/12/2014]. The official spoke on condition of
anonymity because the news was not authorized to be released publicly. Bergdahl has been
treated at the military hospital at Landstuhl Germany, after he was released by his Taliban
captors in Afghanistan after five years as a captive.
Hillary
Clinton: Taliban Five Not a Threat to U.S.. Notwithstanding that there are still
thousands of American troops in harm's way in Afghanistan and that it is a ripe dead certainty the
five jihadist commanders with which President Obama has just replenished the Taliban will go back
to the anti-American jihad — indeed, at least one of them is already bragging that he will
do so — former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told NBC news Wednesday [6/11/2014] that
the Taliban Five were not really a threat to the United States.
Strange and
Dangerous. Although the general public, myself included, was not privy to this
information, surely the President of the United States of America was and in my opinion, knowing
that the public would be much less supportive of efforts to free Bergdahl when they found out,
circumvented the law, the Congress, the media and the public and made a deal with the Taliban that
it is hard to understand how any patriotic, rational American could make. And, in doing so, he has
set not only a dangerous, but also disastrous, precedent America and the rest of the free world
will have to deal with from now on.
Hagel
Gets Testy With Lawmaker Over Bergdahl: 'I Don't Like The Implication Of The Question'. Things got
heated between Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Florida Republican Congressman Jeff Miller during a House Armed
Services hearing regarding Bowe Bergdahl on Wednesday [6/11/2014], with the DoD head telling the lawmaker he
"doesn't like the implication" of a question on why the Army Sgt. is still sequestered in Germany.
Report:
Bergdahl had been discharged from Coast Guard. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held
for five years by an Islamic insurgent group in Afghanistan before the controversial barter that
brought him freedom, was discharged from the Coast Guard two years before joining the Army. "He
did join in early 2006 and he did enter boot camp training," Coast Guard spokeswoman Lisa Novak
confirmed to USA TODAY. "He left after 26 days ... with an uncharacterized discharge."
Obama
administration now saying the Bergdahl deal was Chuck Hagel's call. White House
officials on Monday [6/9/2014] attempted to distance President Obama from the decision to exchange
five Taliban officers for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl by claiming that it was Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel's call, a likely response to recent polls indicating that most Americans disapprove of the
deal. Members of the House of Representatives, who are still furious that the Obama
administration failed to give them 30-day notice of the prisoner swap, were told during a
closed-door briefing on Monday that the entire exchange hinged on Hagel's approval.
Hagel
defends secrecy leading to Bergdahl rescue. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told
lawmakers Wednesday that last month's prisoner swap with the Taliban may have been the "last, best"
chance to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only U.S. soldier held captive in Afghanistan.
Most
Favor Charges if Bergdahl Deserted. More Americans disapprove than approve of the
prisoner exchange that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity — especially if
it's established that he deserted his post. And if he did desert, nearly three-quarters say
Bergdahl should be charged with a crime.
President
Obama, How Does Releasing Terrorists Make Us Safer? Without any consultation with Congress, the Obama
Administration plunged into negotiations with terrorists to release five terrorist leaders in exchange for Army
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. The men released from Guantanamo Bay, the "Taliban 5," were all high-level officials
in the Taliban regime who gave aid and support to al Qaida in Afghanistan in the period leading up to the 9/11 attacks.
Did
Gitmo Detainees Know of Transfer Before Congress? Sources with knowledge of the
transfer tell The Weekly Standard that prisoners at Guantanamo understood in the days before
the transfer that something significant was imminent and may well have known who was being
transferred. The security profile at Guantanamo had been raised, these sources say, and the daily
routines of several prisoners had been broken up. Ramzi Kassem, a law professor at the City
University of New York who has represented detainees, told the Associated Press that the coming
transfer was hardly a secret among the prison population.
Obama's
being pretty stupid for a smart guy. [T]he "smartest guy to ever become president"
pulled off perhaps the dumbest ploy in recent American history when he posed in the Rose Garden
with the parents of the disturbed young man and possible Army deserter for whose sake he had freed
five of the planet's most dangerous people, while the boy's father, a "Duck Dynasty" beard on the
front of his face and a ponytail dangling from its posterior aspect, touchingly spoke in Pashto.
Intelligence
officials predicted two detainees in Bergdahl swap would return to senior Taliban positions, report
claims. U.S. intelligence officials predicted that two of the detainees freed from
Guantanamo Bay in exchange for the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity would
return to senior positions in the militant group, according to a published report. The Wall
Street Journal reports that analysis was contained in a classified assessment prepared by spy
agencies during deliberations about whether to agree to the prisoner exchange. The analysis also
said that two others were likely to assume active roles within the Taliban.
Taliban
'not necessarily' terrorists, Rep. Jackie Speier says. In an attempt to fire back at
House Speaker John Boehner concerning the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Rep. Jackie Speier
(D-Calif.) went on MSNBC Tuesday morning [6/10/2014] and had an interesting view of the Taliban, disputing that
they are terrorists. Earlier, Boehner held a news conference and was critical of the fact that
Congress wasn't fully briefed on the exchange. In blasting the Obama administration, Boehner said
"we're gonna pay" for the prisoner swap, and also said it violated U.S. policy to not negotiate
with terrorists.
Reid:
No way to predict threat from freed Taliban. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-Nev.) said Tuesday there's no way to know what threat the five freed Taliban commanders will
pose to the United States. The Democratic leader said the Taliban militants who were released
from the Guantanamo Bay prison in exchange for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be watched
very closely over the next year.
Miklaszewski:
White House Wrong, Bergdahl's Life Never in Danger. Jim Miklaszewski, chief Pentagon
correspondent for NBC News, revealed on MSNBC's Morning Joe that Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's
life was never in danger while he was held in captivity by the Taliban. Refuting the Obama
administrations claims that the Taliban had previously threatened to kill Bowe Bergdahl,
Miklaszewski told the panel, "We are told categorically by senior defense officials that is
absolutely not true. The Taliban did not threaten to kill Bowe Bergdahl.
Dem
rep compares Taliban to soldiers in American Revolution. A Democratic congressman
offered a curious analogy on Monday to explain why the U.S. is dealing with the Taliban — apparently
comparing them to soldiers in the American Revolution. According to sources, Rep. Jerrold Nadler,
D-N.Y., made the comparison during a House briefing late Monday [6/9/2014] with administration
officials on the trade of Taliban members for American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Nadler apparently
made the point that the Taliban, as non-state actors, have a status similar to that of American
soldiers who fought the British during the Revolutionary War.
US
State Dept Still Won't Say If It Paid to Get Bergdahl Back. When the Obama
administration isn't lying, it's just denying giving us any answers at all. [...] "I have not heard
anything about cash, I'm happy to check," said State spokeswoman Marie Harf when asked about the
prospect at Monday's press briefing. [...] "I'm happy to check." Yeah, no she isn't. Checking means
having to answer directly, and that's something that Marie Harf and her cohorts in the Obama
administration just won't do.
The Prisoner Swap Deal.
Soldiers who served in the same unit with him call him a deserter. The key to this deal, however,
is less likely to be what the United States got out of the deal than it is about what Barack Obama
got out of the deal. If nothing else, it instantly got the veterans' hospitals scandals off the
front pages of newspapers and pushed these scandals aside on television news programs. It was a
clear winner for Barack Obama. And that may be all that matters to Barack Obama.
Report:
WH Orchestrated Campaign Of Threats and Intimidation Against Servicemen To Keep Them Quiet About
Bergdahl. Huffpo columnist Bill Robinson joined Fox and Friends Monday morning with
some exclusive info from a Pentagon official. Robinson said the official wanted the American people
to know that there's a bigger story about the Bergdahl swap that isn't being told -- including the
claim that servicemen received threats and intimidation from the White House to keep quiet.
Bergdahl Press Conference Obama's "Jump
the Shark" Moment. In 2011, and 2012, "everyone refused to make this trade," [Pat]
Caddell noted. "It was a White House operation. They wanted the VA off the front page —
they got something much worse."
Is
Obama considering surrendering to the Taliban? Yes, it is "absolutely" possible the
men he released could return to the battlefield, the president recently declared, but "this is what
happens at the end of wars." In freeing these Taliban leaders, Obama claims he was doing nothing
different from what his predecessors did after the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and World War
II. One problem with that, Mr. President: The prisoners released in those conflicts did not
return to the battlefield, because the enemy had surrendered. The Taliban and al-Qaeda have not
surrendered.
Obama
Wanted To Free Taliban With No POW Trade. President Obama says he only freed the
Taliban Five to free an alleged POW. But that's not true. Two years ago, he was trying to spring
the same Taliban leaders without any bargaining chip.
A nuanced version of 'What difference, at this point, does it make?' Hillary:
'It Doesn't Matter' If Bergdahl Deserted. In an interview on ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer," set to
air Monday, June 9, the former Secretary of State said she would not second-guess the increasingly
unpopular decision by President Obama to trade five high-level Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba in exchange for Bergdahl. Clinton held fast to the "we bring our people home" talking point
and said the reports from Bergdahl's platoon members detailing how the he left his post, deserted
the Army and sought out the Taliban "doesn't matter."
House
panel to investigate deal that freed Bowe Bergdahl. In the week since the deal,
lawmakers have raised questions about whether Bergdahl was a deserter and whether the United States
gave up too much for his freedom. Republicans emerged from the Monday night session incensed that
80 to 90 people in the government knew about Bergdahl's release ahead of time and not one member of
Congress got a head's up, including leaders of the national security committees.
Fictions as Truth.
For the Obama administration narrative to be accurate about the swap of five
Taliban/al-Qaeda-related kingpins for Sgt. Bergdahl, we are asked to believe the following:
[#1] Sgt. Bergdahl was in ill health; thus the need for alacrity. Surely we will expect to see him in an
enfeebled state on his return to the U.S. [#2] Sgt. Bergdahl was in grave and sudden danger from
his captors; thus the need for alacrity. We expect to see proof of that on his return to the U.S.
[#3] The five Taliban detainees will be under guard in Qatar for a year. We expect in June 2015 to
know that they are still there in Qatar.
The
White House's Bergdahl mess. The president made the final call, then proceeded to a
discrediting error. President Obama chose to tell a simple moral story: the return of a hero. But
the real Bergdahl story is enormously complex. There was, it seems, delusional naivete, a betrayal
of an oath, the sacrifice by comrades and the release of dangerous enemies. And then came the White
House balloon drop. [...] In a matter of days, the administration managed to offend a tremendous
variety of people, starting with members of Congress.
Keywords: scapegoat, fall guy, patsy. Obama
Administration: Bergdahl Was Chuck Hagel's Call. The last question asked at Monday night's closed-door briefing of members of the House of
Representatives was a simple one: Who made the decision to transfer five top Taliban officials held at Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for
the return of the Taliban's lone American POW, Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl? [...] The administration's claim that Hagel, not Obama, made the decision
is at odds with what Hagel himself said on Meet the Press on June 1. "I signed off on the decision," Hagel said.
"The president made the ultimate decision."
It
looks like Obama has found his Bergdahl deal patsy. Every cover up needs a fall guy,
and according to Rep. Buck Mckeon's comments after last night's Congressional briefing on the
Bergdahl deal, the Obama administration seems to be floating the name of their patsy.
Bergdahl
could be tried for AWOL or desertion. Abandoning a post in a war zone is rare. "When
you go AWOL from the combat theater, that escalates it pretty dramatically," said Bill Gavin of the
Center on Conscience and War, an advocacy group. AWOL charges in the United States are more
common, and most are disposed of administratively, without convening a court-martial. "It is
intolerable in a military unit for a person to wander off," said Eugene Fidell, who teaches
military justice at Yale Law School. "That's a message that has to be underscored."
Spiking the Bergdahl football.
On "This Week With George Stephanopoulos [6/1/2014]," National Security Adviser Susan Rice insisted
that it was a "joyous day." [...] Continuing her run of saying dubious things about matters of
public import on Sunday shows, Rice said over the weekend that Bowe Bergdahl "served the United
States with honor and distinction." The record suggests the opposite. Rice repeatedly said that
he was captured "on the battlefield," although there is no evidence of any battle during which he
was captured.
Andrea
Mitchell not buying State Dept.'s spin on Bergdahl Swap. MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell
appeared visibly irritated with State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf on Monday amid her efforts
to suggest the Osama bin Laden raid serves as a precedent for a national security matter that is
too sensitive to allow members of Congress to be briefed on its details. Harf even suggested that
Mitchell and others were attempting to "recreate" the history of the bin Laden raid by insisting
that members were briefed on it before it was executed.
The
incredible shrinking President. Last week's tempest over the Bergdahl exchange seemed
to roll all the President's troubles together into a single storm. The decision to free five
Taliban fighters from Guantanamo in exchange for an American soldier with a complicated past
energized the President's opponents, befuddled and angered important Congressional allies, and
renewed questions about the political instincts of the President and his closest aides.
Obama
Won't Allow Bergdahl To Speak To Anyone Until He Agrees To Tell Story Obama Wants Him To
Tell. With perhaps impeachment at stake, Obama is not going to let Bergdahl admit he
deserted and collaborated with the enemy to kill Americans. Obama is cutting some sort of deal with him,
agreeing to not prosecute and/or convict him for desertion and treason (and perhaps agreeing to pay him cash
covertly over time) in exchange for him agreeing to tell the story Obama wants him to tell.
Krauthammer:
Bergdahl Still In Hospital Suggests 'Witness Tampering' By Obama Officials. ["]That's
why it looks as if they are trying to make up reasons to justify a presidential decision that was
based probably on the desire to begin to empty Gitmo. And secondly, on the traditional idea of
trying to get a captive back, there's nothing new there. But the fact they had to come up with a
new excuse today that they thought he might be killed. Why would you say that on the fourth day,
the fifth day after all this happened. Oh, by the way, you remember there's another reason. It
tells you how much they are reaching and how little you can really believe.["]
Critics of P.O.W.
Swap Question the Absence of a Wider Agreement. When the heads of the two major
intelligence committees criticized the Obama administration on Sunday [6/8/2014] for swapping Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl for five members of the Taliban, they homed in on one part of the deal that the White
House has struggled for a week, unsuccessfully, to explain. The question is why the five were
released without any commitments to a larger agreement, under which the Taliban would renounce
international terrorism, and begin a process of reconciliation with the government of Afghanistan.
Robert Bergdahl:
In His Circles. Robert Bergdahl, who stood next to President Obama, and spoke Pashto
(the native language of Afghanistan) to deliver a prayer and address Bowe directly. Investigations
into conversion to Islam, collaborating with the enemy, and questions regarding both Bowe
Bergdahl's allegiances as well as his fathers have surfaced. A report came out from [World Net
Daily] regarding Robert Bergdahl's YouTube account, deleted tweets, and some questionable comments
on those accounts. I began questioning as well and went further into Robert Bergdahl's social
media habits. A few disturbing things have surfaced.
Bergdahl's
father now under scrutiny himself. In 2011, during his long five-year vigil, waiting
helplessly at home while his son was held by Taliban extremists half a world away, Bob Bergdahl
made a personal video for the Pakistani government that he hoped would be delivered to his boy,
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. "These are my thoughts. I can remain silent no longer," the father
began. He stood in a black shirt, his bushy blond beard worn long, the kind sported by most
militant men in the war-racked region. In the three-minute video, he mentioned several
high-ranking Pakistani generals by name, thanking them for their sacrifices. Then he went on to
thank the Taliban forces that were holding his son.
Sen.
Feinstein questions White House claims on Bergdahl's health, death threat. The
California Democrat told CBS' "Face the Nation" that she and the committee's top Republican,
Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, had been briefed previously about the operation and kept that
information confidential. "We understand the security of that, we have never violated that," said
Feinstein, who has raised doubts about the so-called "credible threat" on Bergdahl's life several
times since Congress was briefed about his June 5 release in exchange for five Taliban detainees at
the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "I have heard of none," she continued.
How did 6 die after Bowe Bergdahl's
disappearance? Much attention has been given to the claim made by the former
platoonmates of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl that he is partly to blame for the deaths of six soldiers who
were killed in the months after Bergdahl disappeared. Some soldiers have gone so far as to say
the six died while searching for Bergdahl. Others say he is indirectly to blame — after Bergdahl
vanished, essentially every operation became a mission to find their lost colleague in one way or
another, they say.
Rogers:
Gitmo Release Has 'Empowered the Taliban'. Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.), House
Intelligence Committee Chairman, argued the prisoner exchange that will bring Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
home has "empowered the Taliban" and predicts some, if not all of the five Taliban commanders
released will fight again.
Bowe
Bergdahl Physically Well Enough to Return, 'Not Ready Psychologically'. NBC News
reports that U.S. officials have stated that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was examined at the U.S.
military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, after his release from the Taliban, is in decent physical
shape. He has no permanent physical injuries from his confinement by the Taliban. Officials said
Bergdahl is in "good enough physical condition to allow him to return to the United States," but he
is "not ready psychologically or emotionally" to do so.
A Pardon for
Bowe Bergdahl. When Bowe Bergdahl was first released, the administration's line
seemed to be that he had suffered enough as a Taliban prisoner, and thus that the U.S. would not
likely punish him as a deserter even if that's what he turned out to be. But as the deal came in
for strong criticism and evidence mounted as to Bergdahl's betrayal, the line changed. We were
assured by the military that Bergdahl's conduct would be investigated and, if misconduct were
found, he would be subject to the military justice system. In the meantime, we should withhold
judgment. But Bill Otis predicts that, regardless of the facts (which so far point unambiguously
to the conclusion that Bergdahl deserted), Bergdahl will never face a military trial because
President Obama will pardon him.
Here
is Obama's Latest Decree. While the rest of us are arguing about Sgt. Bergdahl,
President Obama is sneaking through another presidential decree. This one has to do with student
loan forgiveness — a nice little gift to a constituency that the president wants to turn out on
election day next November.
The Bounties of Obama's Weakness. Though the
president denies it, the swap will significantly damage our national security. The president isn't tone deaf: he just doesn't [care] what
the military (who advised against the swap) or the American people think. In one action, he has materially strengthened the Taliban's ability
to attack America and retake Afghanistan.
Obama's Bergdahl
Fiasco. In the town of Pocatello, Idaho, last Tuesday, Jason Carey stood waving a yellow sign that read:
"BOWE IS NOT AS HERO. He Deserted America." [...] Carey made a YouTube video of himself burning his Bergdahl POW-MIA (missing in
action) T-shirt and telling the freed soldier: "You better pray to Allah I don't catch you on the streets of Idaho, punk."
A photograph of him with his sign went viral after being posted on a "Bowe Bergdahl is a Traitor" Facebook page. He was
particularly incensed that Bergdahl was automatically promoted to sergeant during his captivity: "I had to work to get my
sergeant's rank. All he did was sit in a cave and chill out with his Taliban buddies."
The Disaster
That Is U.S. Foreign Policy. [Scroll down] To make matters worse for the right wing, Obama had
the nerve to embrace the soldier's parents — on the grounds of the White House no less — who
themselves are under suspicion by the Right. Bergdahl's father, after all, wears an ominously bushy
beard (is the Calvinist really a Muslim?), and spoke to his son in Pashto, the language of his
son's captors. Worse yet, he was so desperate to rescue his son that he tweeted to a Taliban
spokesman, "I am still working to free all Guantánamo prisoners. God will repay for the death
of every Afghan child, ameen." (The tweet was later deleted.)
Confirmed by Wikileaks: Bowe Bergdahl deserted and tried to
contact the Taliban. The Wikileaks document dump of hundreds of thousands of messages and reports from the US military in
Afghanistan contains some vital information on the case of Bowe Bergdahl. Two days after Bergdahl disappeared, US signals intelligence
intercepted radio and cell phone communications that show Pvt. Bergdahl was in a village about two miles away asking around to see if
anyone spoke English. He wanted to contact the Taliban, say the intercepts.
Could
Benghazi have been a Bergdahl Gambit that Went South? President Obama has been trying to close Gitmo for years, which means
finding a way — any way — to free the terrorists from that prison. Regrettably for Obama, try as he might, he has been unable to
obtain Congressional approval to release Gitmo detainees back onto the battlefield to recommence the murder, mayhem, and destruction.
Thus far, the United States Congress thinks it is in the best interest of the American people to keep highly dangerous Taliban fighters
locked up for as long as possible. Barack "I won" Obama thinks otherwise.
Bergdahl's parents got rare
access to insiders. The Obama administration gave the parents of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl extraordinary insider access to the
military's hunt for their son by having them take part in a series of secure video conferences with senior commanders as well as White
House and State Department officials. A former government official involved in American hostage issues said he had never heard of
giving a family such access and questioned whether sensitive information could have been conveyed to Robert and Jani Bergdahl and somehow
leaked out. A family spokesman said he knows of no such breach.
Obama
to free Gitmo terrorist 'because he took up yoga'. If you thought President Obama's
release of five top Taliban commanders in exchange for POW Bowe Bergdahl was bad, wait until you
see what his Gitmo parole board plans. Desperate to empty the Guantanamo Bay prison by the end of
his term, Obama quietly is giving "get out of jail free" cards for the flimsiest of excuses. One
al Qaeda suspect captured in Afghanistan is considered reformed because he took up yoga and read a
biography of the Dalai Lama. Another is eligible for release because of his "positive attitude."
Revised
5 Times, NYT's 'Rush to Demonize Bergdahl' Editorial Attacking GOP 'Operatives'. The seething anger at seeing the Obama administration being raked over
the coals by critics of the Bowe Bergdahl exchange of five hardened terrorists for a soldier who left his post, including many
Democrats and most prominently his fellow unit members, was apparently too much for the editorial board at the New York Times.
On Thursday [6/5/2014], they let loose with a poorly sourced and hastily drafted editorial originally entitled "The Politics of the
Bergdahl Case."
Feinstein
Shreds Obama Claims About Bergdahl Deal. Senator Dianne Feinstein sharply
contradicted Obama administration claims about the details of the deal in which five Taliban
detainees were exchanged for captured Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Feinstein, a California Democrat
who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joins a chorus of Republicans, veterans,
families of deceased soldiers, and other critics of both the deal for Bergdahl's release and the
administration's failure to give advance notice to Congress before releasing detainees from
Guantanamo Bay, as required by a 2013 law.
Taliban
swapped for Bergdahl could be drone targets, Kerry indicates. Secretary of state John
Kerry has indicated that five Guantánamo Bay detainees released in exchange for an American soldier
could be killed by drone strike if they return to the battlefield in Afghanistan. Kerry's implied
threat to the five Taliban fighters came as Republicans ramped-up their criticism of the deal to
release Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a prisoner of the Taliban for five years until he was freed last
week.
More
Guantanamo Bay detainees set to leave amid Bergdahl swap furor. President Barack
Obama and others in the administration say they are committed to closing the Guantanamo detention
center and military officials say they can resume transfers at a moment's notice, just as they did
with the May 31 swap of five Guantanamo inmates for a captured American soldier. "All I need is
the names and a country and we could do it all very, very efficiently," the commander of U.S.
Southern Command, Marine Gen. John F. Kelly, said in an interview Saturday [6/7/2014] at the start of a visit
to the base he oversees. But the current furor over the trade of the five Taliban prisoners for
American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl may have complicated the situation.
Donna
Brazile: Soldiers Talking about Bergdahl's Desertion a 'PR Campaign by Republicans'.
Democratic strategist and former Gore-campaign manager Donna Brazile said this morning [6/8/2014]
that veterans accusing recently returned Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl of desertion are part of a "PR
campaign by Republicans." After fellow panelist Ana Navarro noted that members of Bergdahl's unit
had consistently expressed concerns about the circumstances of his capture, Brazile said it was an
effort to "muddy the waters" surrounding the prisoner deal. Quickly criticized for the comment by
her fellow panelists on CNN, she said that she'd never impugn the testimony of a veteran, but stood
by her comments.
McCain:
Keep Them at Gitmo Forever. CNN's Candy Crowley asked John McCain this morning
whether trading top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was better than
having to release the detainees when U.S. combat operations end in Afghanistan. McCain thinks
that's a false choice: Men like the the five commanders released, he believes, should be tried if
possible, but just held indefinitely otherwise. When pressed as to what authority or what
assurances he'd trust to keep the five detainees from returning to terrorism, McCain simply said,
"well, first of all, I wouldn't have released them."
Bowe
Bergdahl Reportedly Declines to Speak with His Family. According to one U.S.
official. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has declined to speak with his family by phone after five years
in the captivity of Taliban forces. The report, which came Sunday [6/8/2014] from [The] Wall
Street Journal, also quotes the unnamed official as saying that doctors at a U.S. military
hospital in Germany are treating Bergdahl slowly due to the firestorm of controversy surrounding
his name stateside.
FBI: Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl's parents have received threats. The FBI is investigating threats against
the parents of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the latest development in a case that has put the spotlight
on the circumstances surrounding his capture in Afghanistan and release by the Taliban. "We are
working jointly with our state and local partners and taking each threat seriously," FBI Special
Agent William Facer told CNN in an e-mail on Saturday [6/7/2014]. Facer declined to detail the
nature and severity of the threats, and a military spokesperson for the Bergdahls declined to comment.
Kerry
Dismisses Released Taliban's Promise To Rejoin Fight. Secretary of State John Kerry
awkwardly dismissed a declaration by released Taliban commander Noorullah Noori that he would
return to jihad after 13 years in captivity at Guantanamo Bay, telling CNN's Elise Labott it was
"propaganda" and "a lot of baloney." Labott interviewed Kerry on Sunday from a ritzy French
chateau, with soft piano music ringing gently in the background. She asked the secretary whether he
agreed with National Security Advisor Susan Rice's contention last week that Army Sgt. and likely
deserter Bowe Bergdahl "served with honor and distinction." "There's plenty of time for people to
sort through what happened, what didn't happen," Kerry said. "I don't know all the facts."
On
Bergdahl/Taliban swap, too many bad explanations. At this point, heaping criticism on
the swap of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five hardened Taliban military leaders almost feels like
piling on. And it would be if the whole fiasco weren't this evolving, target-rich environment where
each dawn presents fresh revelations — indictments, really — that look all
the worse because President Obama surely should have known about all of them before he hugged Momma
Bergdahl in the Rose Garden. For instance, most everything worth knowing about Bergdahl's
troubles in, and with, the Army (in which he freely enlisted) could have been discovered by typing
the lad's name into a search engine.
5
Obama Officials Who Lied, Then Lied About Lying. Last week, National Security Advisor
Susan Rice appeared on the Sunday shows to do what she does best: lie. She told the American public
that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, for whom President Obama had exchanged five top Taliban commanders, had
served with "honor and distinction." That, apparently, wasn't true. As Bergdahl's compatriots in
arms have now told the media, Bergdahl allegedly deserted his post; some evidence has even cropped up
suggesting that Bergdahl converted to Islam and embraced jihad. So, did Rice apologize? Of
course not.
How
Obama's media strategy unraveled with recovered POW. [President Obama] knew a
firestorm would inevitably erupt over the release of the Taliban 5 from Gitmo, but as long as it
was a political and policy firestorm, he could insulate himself from it by invoking the greatest of
all pop-culture fantasies: a happy ending. The importance of the storyline was so absolute that
his national-security adviser, Susan Rice, found it necessary to go on a Sunday chat show and say
Bowe Bergdahl had "served with distinction and honor." She knew that was not a true thing to say
about Bergdahl's service, but she had to say it because the pop-culture plotline called for it.
Period? Full Stop?
[T]he president himself and his minions have done their best, or their worst, to preclude debate
and to silence criticism. Their effort has failed. It failed not because pundits or politicians
came up with especially clever lines of criticism. Rather, the administration failed because the
American people didn't fall for it. In particular, military families — the prime
audience of the president and his team — didn't fall for the administration's spin.
Instead there was a spontaneous reaction of dismay, a sincere and heartfelt disgust on the part of
the American public.
Sister
of Soldier Killed Searching for Bergdahl: Trade Was 'a Slap in the Face'. The story
of Bowe Bergdahl is also the story of six soldiers killed seeking a man who may have intentionally
walked into the arms of the Taliban. Krisa Murphrey, whose brother, Staff Sergeant Michael
Murphrey, was killed on a mission reports have linked to the Bergdahl search, tells Breitbart News
the swap was "ridiculous." In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Murphrey expresses
anger over the Obama administration's decision to release five high-ranking Taliban officials to
free Bergdahl. "I felt a little angry about the whole exchange," she explains.
How
Obama's media strategy unraveled with recovered POW. [President Obama] He has stiffed
the White House press corps, not only by denying reporters access to him but by creating a force
field of discipline that keeps his staff from talking about what is going on in any way. The
public gets what little White House information it has from Obama's own propaganda
stream — official tweets, Instagram photos and mini-events carefully manufactured for
positive media effect.
Official:
Bergdahl Details Don't Add Up. The Haqqani Network, a terrorist group operating in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, freed Bergdahl on Saturday after holding him captive for five years in
exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay prison inmates. A senior intelligence official
with intimate knowledge of the years-long effort to locate and rescue Bergdahl told the
Washington Free Beacon that the details of that exchange do not add up. The official, who
requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, speculated that a cash
ransom was paid to the Haqqani Network to get the group to free the prisoner.
The Meaning of Treason.
If it turns out that Sergeant Bergdahl was carrying a weapon against the United States, the story
becomes a whole new ballgame. Even then, there are hurdles, for the Constitution sets a high bar
for a conviction of treason.
Obama:
'My Government' Didn't Need Congressional Approval For Bergdahl Deal. During an
interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Barack Obama claims — incredibly — that
"my government" acted 'unanimously" in its decision to trade five Taliban commanders for Army Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl. [']It was a "unanimous decision" by "my government." "I make no apologies for
it."['] But surely, he meant to say "my administration," right? Don't bet on it.
Susan
Rice defends her controversial 'honor and distinction' praise for accused Army deserter Bowe
Bergdahl. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice passed up a golden opportunity on
Friday [6/6/2014] to walk back her Sunday television praise for accused Army deserter Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl as an American who had 'served the United States with honor and distinction.' Rice waded
once again into controversy with comments on ABC's Sunday morning news program 'This Week,' setting
off an immediate firestorm among Americans who had already learned that Bergdahl was no ordinary
hostage overseas.
Decoding Bergdahl.
Obama didn't use the Taliban 5 to release Bergdahl. Obama used Bergdahl to release the Taliban 5.
The false narratives about his poor health, his heroic record and the supposed consultation were
all manufactured to fit this requirement. Obama really didn't [care] about Bergdahl. What he
really wanted was to find some way to spring those five Taliban gentlemen.
Military Back Pay & Special
Compensation for Bergdahl May Lead to Big Sum. Alleged deserter Bowe Bergdahl may
receive compensation by the U.S. military for being held in captivity by the Taliban for five
years, depending on how his status is classified. If Bergdahl is deemed to have been a "POW" and
receives military backpay for his time of service, he could claim more than $300,000 from U.S. taxpayers.
Obama
Advisers Repeatedly Told President Not to Deal. President Barack Obama was repeatedly
advised by several of the nation's top military and intelligence officials not to engage in the
prisoner swap to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, which freed five senior Taliban leaders
from Guantanamo prison, according to reports. When the White House first began considering an
exchange in 2011 and 2012, James Clapper, then director of National Intelligence, flat out rejected
the release of the five detainees, according to The Daily Beast.
The Left's
Hackish Response to Bowe Bergdahl. To compare Jessica Lynch, who served her country
honorably and told the truth about it afterwards, with Bowe Bergdahl, a man accused by his fellow
soldiers of desertion, is disgraceful. But then again, you wouldn't know that from watching
[Rachel] Maddow, who never bothered to mention that it was veterans who attacked Bergdahl
first, not conservatives.
American
Nazi gives Hitler Salute from Rose Garden. No, it didn't happen exactly that way this week.
But hippie jihadist Bob Bergdahl got his chance to stage a classic agitprop stunt ("spontaneously," of course), by
twice reciting the jihadist credo in Arabic as a public signal of surrender to the Haqqani terror network in
Afghanistan — a bunch of evil killers who rival the Taliban in their militant hatred for the United States.
And Obama just gave our American jihadist a little smile.
Freed
Taliban Commander Tells Relative He'll Fight Americans Again. One of the five Taliban
leaders freed from Guantanamo Bay in return for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release has pledged to return
to fight Americans in Afghanistan, according to a fellow militant and a relative. "After arriving
in Qatar, Noorullah Noori kept insisting he would go to Afghanistan and fight American forces
there," a Taliban commander told NBC News via telephone from Afghanistan.
Obama's
Bergdahl Straw Men. At a press conference in Brussels Thursday [6/5/2014], President
Obama was asked if he was surprised by the controversy over his decision to trade Bowe Bergdahl for
five high-ranking Taliban leaders. His response was vintage Obama: "I'm never surprised by
controversies that are whipped up in Washington." Thus establishing from the start that he
considers the controversy to be a kind of partisan farce, he proceeded to rebut criticisms
virtually no one has made.
Robert
Bergdahl's Radical 'Pacifist' Friends, Part One. As the strange story of Robert and
Bowe Bergdahl continues to evolve this week, associations are coming out that add to the picture.
Many of them seem to fit very well with the anti-American, pacifist quotes attributed to his son,
Bowe. Just a few days ago, Gateway Pundit published a piece showing that Bob Bergdahl had been a
signer of Code Pink's anti-drone petition. This cause is really not surprising, considering his
reported communications with UK radical Carol Anne Grayson, who is currently producing an
anti-drone movie. In addition, you will see promotion of Code Pink on the Bergdahl's own site,
highlighting her YouTube message about closing Guantanamo. However, this is not the extent of the
radical associations he seems to have.
Bergdahl's
Dad: Drone Killed Captor's Kid. In June 2010, Robert Bergdahl, the father of released
American POW Bowe Bergdahl, gave a speech at an Idaho Republican Party fundraiser. In one of his
first public appearances during his son's five-year captivity, he asked the conservative audience
to show compassion for his son's captors — and, in a twist that foretold the plot of
Homeland — he alleged that the United States had killed one of those captor's
children with a drone strike.
Fragging
Bergdahl's squad mates. If there is anyone who knows the facts and can be relied upon
to tell the truth about what happened the night Sgt. Bergdahl "disappeared," it's his squad mates.
They are the witnesses any official investigation will count on as they re-create what happened
that day in Afghanistan. Yet, according to NBC's Chuck Todd, it appears the White House thinks
its next really good move is to brand the troops liars.
Susan
Rice compares Bowe Bergdahl controversy to Benghazi uproar. It hasn't been an easy
week for Susan Rice, President Obama's national security adviser. A day after the Obama
administration completed the exchange of five Taliban operatives for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only
U.S. service member held in captivity during the Afghan war, she said that the soldier had served
with "honor and distinction." That, despite a body of evidence suggesting Bergdahl had walked off
his military outpost in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, raising the prospect that he went
absent without leave or deserted his position. Both are crimes in the military.
Official:
Bergdhal Details Don't Add Up. Reported details of the high-profile prisoner swap
that freed Bowe Bergdahl over the weekend are not telling the full story, according to a high-level
intelligence official involved in efforts to find and rescue the Army sergeant. The Haqqani
Network, a terrorist group operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, freed Bergdahl on Saturday after
holding him captive for five years in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay prison inmates.
Pentagon
wanted FIVE Americans released in Taliban trade. The U.S. Defense Department wanted
five Americans released in exchange for five Taliban terrorists — not just the single
American infantryman now accused of desertion — according to a senior congressional
aide. And with the Bowe Bergdahl hostage swap now nearly a week old, the State Department is
still insisting that it doesn't offer 'concessions' to 'terrorists' or other 'hostage-takers'
There is nothing the Obama White House won't lie about. White
House Claim Bergdahl's Life was in Danger Receives Bipartisan Rejection. Both Democrats and Republicans have
rejected an excuse offered by the White House for why they were unable to inform Congress of the
Bergdahl prisoner swap. The White House has offered several excuses for why it failed to notify
Congress 30 days in advance as required by law. [...] Sen. Lindsey Graham gave the AP a rundown of
the litany of excuses offered by the White House, "First, we had to do the prisoner deal because he
was in imminent danger of dying. Well, they saw the video in January and they didn't act until
June. So that holds no water. Now the argument is the reason they couldn't tell us is because it
jeopardized his life. I don't buy that for a moment because he was a very valuable asset to the Taliban."
Six
Soldiers Who Served with Bergdahl Come to a Chilling Consensus. Megyn Kelly hosted 6 members of Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl's platoon to discuss their reactions to the Bergdahl situation, and they were unanimous in their explanations of what
they saw: Bergdahl deserted, he sought out the Taliban, and he deserves a court martial.
Obama:
Bergdahl swap part of ending Afghan war. President Obama on Friday [6/6/2014] expanded his
defense of the deal that led to the freedom of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, saying in an NBC News
interview that the release of five Taliban detainees was partly a consequence of winding down the
war in Afghanistan. [...] He repeated his desire to "whittle away" at the number of detainees at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "By definition ... we are ending a war," Obama said. "Then there's
going to be a process in which some of those individuals are going to be released."
What
if Obama disobeys the law on another Gitmo release? We've all heard that the law
requires the administration to give Congress 30 days notice before releasing prisoners from the
U.S. terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — a provision the White House
willfully ignored in the recent release of five Taliban commandos in exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl. But the law — specifically the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2014 — requires much more than that. Congress did not intend for the president to
give lawmakers a simple heads-up. Instead, the House and Senate ordered that any such 30-day
notification must include: [...]
The
Bergdahl Exchange — a Wider Legal View. A core element of all civilized
legal systems is the rule of Nullum crimen sine poena, "No crime without a punishment." This
ancient principle, strongly reaffirmed at the post-World War II Nuremberg Trials, is indisputably
part of all international law. It applies very conspicuously in the current controversy over the
Bergdahl-Taliban exchange.
Obama's
master ... mistake: behind the Bergdahl bungle. The Obama White House genuinely
believed the release of the American soldier who disappeared in 2009 in Afghanistan would provide a
triumphant moment for the president and a moment for national unity. Otherwise, there would have
been no Rose Garden celebration featuring the president and Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's parents. Some in
the White House surely saw the Rose Garden bit as a chance to play rope-a-dope with their political
adversaries after weeks of getting beaten up over the Veterans Administration scandal.
Bergdahl
Is Said to Have a History of Leaving His Post. A classified military report detailing the
Army's investigation into the disappearance of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in June 2009 says that he had
wandered away from assigned areas before — both at a training range in California and at
his remote outpost in Afghanistan — and then returned, according to people briefed on
it. The roughly 35-page report, completed two months after Sergeant Bergdahl left his unit,
concludes that he most likely walked away of his own free will from his outpost in the dark of
night, and it criticized lax security practices and poor discipline in his unit. But it stops
short of concluding that there is solid evidence that Sergeant Bergdahl, then a private, intended to
permanently desert.
Soldiers
Bergdahl Served with React to Charges of 'Swift Boating'. Six of the men Bowe Bergdahl served with sat down
with Megyn Kelly on Thursday [6/5/2014], and Kelly asked them how they feel about the White House saying the attacks on
Bergdahl are just "swift boating" and are motivated by partisanship. All six of them insisted their criticisms are
not based in partisan politics, but in fact. All of them agreed that "the truth needs to come out, he's not a hero,"
and that it was "hard to watch" him get such a glowing welcoming in the Rose Garden, given they believe Bergdahl abandoned
them to seek out the Taliban and the attacks got worse when he left. And so they took offense at Susan Rice
saying he served with honor and distinction.
Free
him, then try him. What is it with Susan Rice and the Sunday morning talk shows? This
time she said Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had served in Afghanistan "with honor and distinction" — the biggest
whopper since she insisted the Benghazi attack was caused by a video. There is strong eyewitness evidence that
Bergdahl deserted his unit and that the search for him endangered his fellow soldiers. If he had served with
honor and distinction, there would be no national uproar over his ransom and some of the widely aired objections to
the deal would be as muted as they are flimsy.
The Unraveling.
The morning after Obama announced the prisoner exchange, top national security officials from his
administration fanned out on the Sunday talk shows. The job of explaining the president's decision
fell to defense secretary Chuck Hagel and national security adviser Susan Rice. The president,
recognizing the "acute and urgent situation" of the missing soldier, had an obligation to
"prioritize the health of Sgt. Bergdahl," Rice explained. "His life could have been at risk."
Waiting was not an option. Bergdahl was a hero, she suggested, "an American prisoner of war
captured on the battlefield" who had served his country with "honor and distinction." In an
appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Rice explained that the five Taliban commanders would be
transferred to Qatar, where "they will be carefully watched" and "their ability to move will be
constrained." [...] And then came the unraveling.
White House
surprised by Bergdahl. The White House has been caught off guard by the negative
reaction to the deal that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last American prisoner of war in
Afghanistan. It has been particularly surprised by criticism of Bergdahl, who is accused of
walking away from his unit shortly before being abducted by the Taliban. The surprise helps
explain why the administration has struggled to respond to the criticism, which appears to have
caught officials flat-footed.
How
the Left is Spinning Surrender to the Taliban. Salon editor Elias Isquith
takes right-wingnuts to task in his latest piece, objectively titled "Wingnuts' war on the troops:
The ugly lesson of Bowe Bergdahl and Sarah Palin." The article is riddled with false assertions
and insanely muddled logic bent to satisfy a preferred apologist agenda, the most ridiculous
example I've seen since David Sirota's "Gee, I hope the Boston Bomber's a White Guy and Not a
Muslim" article from last April which, incidentally, also graced the e-leaves at Salon.
But it's yet another example exposing the extent to which entrenched media figures will commit to
impossible mental somersaults to defend against the indefensible.
A
Dishonorable Discharge... Flowing from the White House. As most of you know,
Bergdahl's fellow soldiers, with whom he was serving when he deserted, have come out fighting
against the White House propaganda campaign to make a hero out of a despicable defector and enemy
collaborator. In none of the interviews I've watched has a single one of those paratroopers
followed the administration's line that Bergdahl served with honor and distinction. Rather, they
courageously deny it, to a man, in spite of the fact that many of them were required to sign non-disclosure
agreements by their superiors.
Obama, Bergdahl
and Moral Narcissism. Moral Narcissism is an evocative term for the almost schizophrenic divide between
intentions and results now common in our culture. It doesn't matter how anything turns out as long as your
intentions are good. And, just as importantly, the only determinant of those intentions, the only one who
defines them, is you. In other words, if you propose or do something, it only matters that you feel good or
righteous about what you did or are proposing, that it makes you feel better personally.
The
'Swift-Boating' of Bowe Bergdahl. Rightly understood, "swift-boating" shouldn't be a
pejorative — it's what happens when men in uniform feel betrayed by a comrade and tell
the public what they believe to be the truth about his service. But for Democrats and the media,
swift-boating is about the most heinous thing that can happen to someone. Bowe Bergdahl thus
joins Kerry as a victim of a partisan smear campaign — except, unlike the secretary of
state, Bergdahl doesn't have any prestigious medals to throw away (or pretend to throw away)
at an anti-war protest.
Leon Panetta questions
prisoner swap with Taliban. A former top adviser to President Obama on Wednesday [6/4/2014]
questioned the release of dangerous terrorists in exchange for an imprisoned American soldier as
anger spread among lawmakers in Washington over the secret deal to free Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
"I don't fault the administration for wanting to get him back. I do question whether the conditions
are in place to make sure these terrorists don't go back into battle," former CIA director and
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told a gas industry gathering in Pittsburgh.
White House
braced for Bowe Bergdahl backlash. President Barack Obama's Rose Garden appearance
Saturday afternoon with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's parents was an attempt to humanize the prisoner swap
to deflect potential criticism of letting five Taliban leaders out of Guantánamo Bay, White
House aides say. It didn't work. White House aides were aware Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been tagged
a deserter, and that they would be grilled over not keeping Congress in the loop. But they figured
people would be most outraged over the national security implications.
Taliban Commander: More Kidnappings
to Come After Bergdahl Deal. A Taliban commander close to the negotiations over the
release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl told TIME Thursday [6/5/2014] that the deal made to secure Bergdahl's
release has made it more appealing for fighters to capture American soldiers and other high-value
targets. "It's better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless
people," the commander said, speaking by telephone on condition of anonymity because he is not
authorized to speak to the media. "It has encouraged our people. Now everybody will
work hard to capture such an important bird."
Scarborough,
Todd Erupt over Bergdahl's Dad: 'Don't Criticize the Parents in Here'. Morning
Joe host Joe Scarborough erupted Thursday morning [6/5/2014] during a discussion of the father
of freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, arguing that Robert Bergdahl had given his son advice that had
endangered other American soldiers, while NBC News chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd
pleaded with him not to judge the parents whose son had been missing for five years.
The
Real Reason the U.S. Didn't Rescue Bowe Bergdahl. The Pentagon rejected the idea of a
rescue mission for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl because he was being moved so often by his Taliban captors
that U.S. special operators would have had to hit up to a dozen possible hideouts inside Pakistan
at once in order to have a chance at rescuing him.
I would not be surprised to learn this has already happened. U.S.
Spies Worry Qatar Will 'Magically Lose Track' of Released Taliban. President Obama and his national security
Cabinet expressed confidence this week in a still-secret agreement with the kingdom of Qatar to keep watch over the five senior Taliban
figures released from Guantanamo Bay prison in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. But privately, many U.S. military and intelligence
officials say it's unwise to rely on Qatar to monitor the Gitmo 5.
Angry
debate on Morning Joe over Bergdahl dad's actions. This debate has raged on blogs and
social media ever since Barack Obama put his arm around Robert Bergdahl, so having it erupt of
Morning Joe today [6/5/2014] is less of a surprise and more of a cathartic. [...] There has
been an avalanche of criticism and suspicion of the elder Bergdahl's actions, statements, and
motivations. It's just that most news outlets haven't touched that story, but this debate has been
taking place in largely the same parameters as it did between Scarborough and Todd.
White
House Official: What If Bergdahl's Fellow Soldiers Were Psychopaths? An Obama
administration official upset with the direction of the Bergdhal story voiced his concern on
Twitter on Wednesday, floating a theory that put Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in a more sympathetic
light — and his fellow soldiers as part of the problem. The American people, he
argued, were too quick to jump to conclusions about Bergdahl after his fellow soldiers spoke out
about his disappearance.
Obama:
No apology for Bergdahl prisoner exchange. President Barack Obama said Thursday he
"absolutely makes no apologies" for seeking the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in a prisoner swap
with the Taliban, vigorously defending an exchange that has caused a furor in the United States and
has dogged the president on his European trip this week.
Obama:
'I Make No Apologies' On Bowe Bergdahl Decision. President Obama said today he would
not apologize for the controversial trade of five Guantanamo detainees for the release of Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl as criticism of the deal continued to grow among lawmakers in Washington, D.C. "I make
absolutely no apologies for making sure we get back a young man to their [sic] parents," Obama said
in a news conference in Brussels.
The Editor says...
For an allegedly educated man, Obama's English is atrocious.
Obama's
Bergdahl Swap Puts Americans in Danger for Photo Op. Obama
administration officials claim they had to bypass congressional oversight and rush a deal because
of concerns about Bergdahl's health and "a window of opportunity." That window, and the hurried
nature of events, was almost certainly Barack Obama's current trip to Europe. It's impossible at
this point for outsiders to ascertain the status of Bergdahl's health. But questions about the
Obama administration's description of his ill health quickly arose from those who should know,
[...]
Bergdahl
backlash surprises White House. White House officials expected controversy when the
deal was announced to free Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for the release of five Taliban detainees
from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Despite the feel-good moment in the White
House Rose Garden featuring President Obama and Bergdahl's beaming parents last Saturday, the
five-for-one trade was sure to create an uproar, a White House official acknowledged.
Inside
the White House's decision to free Bergdahl. As a political firestorm engulfs the
White House over that deal, Reuters interviews with current and former Obama administration
officials involved in the negotiations, along with U.S. lawmakers, reveal how a close-knit circle
in the Obama administration pursued the plan despite intense discord in the past over similar
proposals.
'Drugged
but not near death'. Senators say Sgt Bowe Bergdahl did not 'look good' in
proof-of-life video that they were shown at a meeting last night and may have been 'drugged' but
did not appear to be near-death like the Obama administration claimed.
Wasserman
Schultz Slams 'Nitpicking' GOP: 'We Should Not be Second-Guessing the Administration'. The chairman of the Democratic National Committee accused
Republicans of "grasping at straws" in their criticism of the Bowe Bergdahl case and "nitpicking" over the number of Taliban exchanged for his release.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) accused GOP senators, specifically Susan Collins (R-Maine), of saying "we should leave a member of our armed forces who
was in the midst of an armed conflict, regardless of the circumstances that he will likely be tried for and considered innocent until proven guilty later."
Obama the Velcro
President. Everything is sticking to him. He probably thought he could get some major political
mileage out of bringing home the only prisoner of war held by the Taliban. He even did a Rose Garden ceremony
to announce the deal. Boy, was he wrong. Republicans are predictably outraged, Democrats are publicly
miffed, and some in the military are opposed. And worse, the heavily bearded father of the hostage speaks Pashtun.
Bowe
Bergdahl 'Improving Daily' at German Hospital, Pentagon Says. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is improving daily at the
military hospital in Germany where he is recovering, and psychologists there are helping him "regain control of his emotions,"
a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday [6/5/2014]. Bergdahl's medical condition was described as "stable and
improving daily." The spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, would not elaborate on the psychologists' work.
Obama
makes 'absolutely no apologies' for Bergdahl terror trade. President Barack Obama doubled down Thursday on his
handling of the Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap, saying he makes 'no apologies' for releasing five Taliban terrorists in
exchange for the safe return of an accused U.S. Army deserter.
Harry
Reid on When He Was Informed of Bergdahl Swap: 'What Difference Does It Make?' On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) was asked if he believed that the White House could have done a better job of working within the law that
requires Congress be provided with a 30 day notice before prisoners are released from Guantanamo. Reid asserted
that the press was splitting hairs about when Congress was informed of the deal. "What difference does it make?" he
asked. "The timeline was very, very brief here," Reid said. "We all know that the president had a very short
period of time to make a decision. He made a decision to bring [Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl] home, and I'm glad he did."
The Editor says...
Whenever a Democrat says "we all know" something, it is usually an attempt to convert a half-baked opinion into a fact.
Sergeant Bergdahl
and Sergeant York. Why is the story of Sergeant York important today? Compare the
character of Sergeant York to what America is learning about the character of Sergeant Bowe
Bergdahl. Like York, Bergdahl was not a fan of war, in this case the war in Afghanistan. But as
his comrades-in-arms are now coming forward to relate — with a seething anger — Bowe
Bergdahl is seen as a deserter. Someone who deliberately, willfully deserted his colleagues and
When
MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski Finally 'Gets' the Deception of the Obama Regime — It's Just
Priceless. In a roundtable discussion on Morning Joe on Wednesday, co-host Mika
Brzezinski appears to be confounded about the Administration's actions surrounding the Bergdahl
prisoner exchange. She asks journalist John Heilemann to address it, with three "tough" questions
about the situation — about Bergdahl's health, why Susan Rice repeatedly said Sgt.
Bergdahl served honorably, and why the White House said they consulted Congress when, by all
accounts, they didn't.
Pelosi:
More Terrorism To Come From Guantanamo Anger Than Released Taliban. A reporter asked
for her opinion on the prisoner exchange of five top Taliban terrorist for the release of U.S. Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Pelosi said she has confidence in President Barack Obama's handling of the
situation. Pelosi then linked the swap to Guantanamo saying the President was within his rights
to release the five because Republicans have been blocking solutions. Pelosi said the five will be
monitored by Qatar "so they don't pose a big danger to our country."
Gitmo
Detainees Coming to a Town Near You? President Obama defended the release of five
top Taliban terrorists by saying that's what happens when "wars end." Never before have we had a
president so detached from the realities of the world as we do now, at this moment. The war in
Afghanistan is still on — even by Obama's own absurd timetables for quitting
it — and Obama's justification of the prisoner swap should give Senators like Graham and
Feinstein a taste of what's to come.
Sessions
on WH Bergdahl Briefing: 'The Most Troubling Briefing I've Ever Been In'. In an
appearance on 1070 WAPI's "Matt Murphy Show" in Birmingham, AL on Thursday, Sen. Jeff Sessions
(R-AL) reacted to Wednesday night's closed-door briefing the White House gave to members of the
U.S. Senate about the deal that resulted in the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange
for five Taliban detainees that had been held at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Sessions, a 17-year veteran of the Senate, told host Matt Murphy it was the most troubling briefing
to which he had been privy and was devoid of credibility.
Exclusive:
Bergdahl declared jihad in 2010, secret documents show. U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
at one point during his captivity converted to Islam, fraternized openly with his captors and
declared himself a "mujahid," or warrior for Islam, according to secret documents prepared on the
basis of a purported eyewitness account and obtained by Fox News. The reports indicate that
Bergdahl's relations with his Haqqani captors morphed over time, from periods of hostility, where
he was treated very much like a hostage, to periods where, as one source told Fox News, "he became
much more of an accepted fellow" than is popularly understood. He even reportedly was allowed to
carry a gun at times.
Marcus
Luttrell: Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is a 'joker' who cozied up to the Taliban. Former Navy
SEAL Marcus Luttrell took time to answer questions about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl while he was on Glenn
Beck's radio program. The lone survivor of Operation Redwing said that some of his friends weren't
happy that servicemen died trying to find the "joker" Bergdahl. "From what I understand from his
teammates and everybody who was around him, he kind of just decided to walk off and go sightseeing
in Afghanistan," said Mr. Luttrell, glennbeck.com reported. "A couple of guys got killed actually
trying to get that joker out of there, and [my friends were] not happy. I mean they're pretty upset
with the whole fact that this went down the way it did."
Senator
furious that Obama claims lawmakers would have leaked Bergdahl deal. Obama
administration officials told a gathering of all 100 U.S. Senators on Wednesday [6/4/2014] that they were kept
in the dark about Saturday's prisoner swap because the Taliban warned that they would kill Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl if any information about the plan leaked to the public. But Georgia Sen. Saxby
Chambliss, the senior Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says he and
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, his Democratic counterpart on the committee, were told 'months
and months' in advance when the Obama administration was planning to kill Osama bin Laden.
Welcome
home celebration in honor of Bowe Bergdahl is cancelled. A public welcome home
celebration featuring Grammy-winning singer Carole King in honor of freed POW Bowe Bergdahl in the
tiny town of Hailey, Idaho was abruptly cancelled today [6/4/2014]. The official reason given was
a concern for public safety, but MailOnline has learned that it was not the only reason the party
was scrubbed. Today's decision follows a row that erupted in Hailey between Mayor Fritz Haemmerle
and US Army Platoon Commander Jonathan Kennedy, who lives in Hailey.
Professionalism
v propaganda: two perspectives on the Bergdahl release video. Video propaganda is
critically important to Islamic extremist organisations. Appealing to their target
audience — young men — videos like this one, are a major recruiter.
Moreover, challenging the presumption of American omnipotence, these videos are a powerful tool in
the modern terrorist portfolio. On a side note, this narrative also helps explain why Islamic
extremists get so upset about satire (they seek to dominate the media battlespace and satire harms
that agenda).
Senators
say classified briefing does little to quell concern over Bergdahl deal. Senators
said Wednesday [6/4/2014] they still have a lot of questions after attending a classified White
House briefing about the prisoner exchange with the Taliban to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl. [...] However, many said the briefing did little to quell their concerns, with Sen. Joe
Manchin, D-W.Va., saying he left the briefing with more questions than answers. Republican Sen.
Saxby Chambliss agreed.
Obama
team on defense over Rice's Bergdahl 'honor' comments. Obama administration officials
once again find themselves clarifying public statements made by National Security Adviser Susan
Rice, after she claimed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl served "with honor and distinction" — despite
the findings of a 2010 Army probe that he deliberately walked off base. Rice made the comments
Sunday to ABC's "This Week," when asked whether the newly freed soldier was a deserter.
In
Regaining Bergdahl, America Lost Six Soldiers Who Never Deserted. The controversy
surrounding President Obama's efforts to free Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has rattled the country, as
fellow soldiers insist Bergdahl deserted and their lives were put on the line to find him. Those
who have not spoken — who cannot speak — are the six soldiers who ultimately
gave their lives in the search for Bergdahl.
When
the president disregards the law. Late last week, Mr. Obama announced the release of
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by the Taliban for more than five years. Sgt. Bergdahl
apparently shed his weapons and equipment, sent his personal belongings home, and walked into the
hands of his captors one day, unwilling to remain a part of his military unit and largely ignorant
of the fate that faced him. The president must have been determined to bring Sgt. Bergdahl home at
all costs, because the manner of his doing so makes it likely that he violated federal criminal law
in the deal he cut with Sgt. Bergdahl's captors.
The
ghastly transaction that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The seeds of what blossomed
grotesquely in the Rose Garden last weekend — a celebration of the release of five
senior Taliban military leaders in exchange for a U.S. sergeant purported to be a
deserter — were sown a long time ago: on the second and third days of President Obama's
first term, to be precise. On his second day in office, the president signed an executive order
directing that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility be closed.
When
a president goes rogue. Perhaps this exchange really is, as Obama said in defending
it, an excellent thing "regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out
to be." His confidence in its excellence is striking, considering that he acknowledges that we do
not know the facts about what would seem to be important "circumstances." Such as the note
Bergdahl reportedly left before disappearing, in which he supposedly said he did not approve of the
U.S. mission in Afghanistan. And the notably strong and numerous expressions of anger by members of
Bergdahl's battalion concerning his comportment and its costs.
Megyn
Kelly Faces Off With Obama Defender. There are growing concerns over the release of
the Gitmo detainees to the government of Qatar in exchange for the prisoner of war, who many are
saying was a deserter. All five prisoners were classified as high risks to United States interests
and our allies.
In
Video of Freed U.S. Soldier, Taliban Deftly Offer a Message. The Taliban seem loose,
almost offhand, on camera as they wait for the American Black Hawk to land. Two fighters walk their
hostage, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, out to American troops, greeting their enemies eye to eye as they
quickly shake hands. They wave as the Americans retreat back to the chopper.
White
House Aides: Bergdahl Criticism Is Proxy for GOP's Obama Hatred. The White House is
not taking the Bowe Bergdahl criticism well. Reports suggest they expected some criticism for
releasing five Gitmo detainees, but not over the returned soldier himself. And after Chuck Todd
said the White House views the attacks as a "swift boating," there's a POLITICO report out making
their position clear: Bergdahl criticism is yet another way for the right to irrationally attack
the president.
Parents
of slain Bartlett soldier want answers on Bowe Bergdahl. The parents of a
Chicago-area soldier who they say was killed while searching for missing Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
are demanding an investigation into whether Bergdahl deserted and how his release was engineered.
Lindsey
Graham: Impeachment is on the table if Obama releases more detainees. Sen. Lindsey
Graham is so furious over the swap of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban leaders that he is
warning of a GOP impeachment push if President Obama tries to release any other prisoners from
Guantanamo Bay. The South Carolina Republican, a prominent member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee and a military lawyer, has long supported the idea of shuttering the island prison and at
one point a few years ago even served as Obama's point man in Congress for the efforts.
The Editor says...
That's like the District Attorney telling someone, "You might get arrested if you commit another
murder." There are plenty of reasons to impeach Obama already — no need to wait for more.
Military:
Bergdahl had left his post at least once before Taliban capture. When he was
captured, Bergdahl had less than a year of military service and his official performance record was
without blemish. But an internal military investigation conducted after his 2009 disappearance
found that he had wandered off post without permission at least once before.
Congress
twice rejected release of Taliban from Gitmo in trade for Bergdahl. President Obama's
aides met with unanimous opposition from Congress when they first raised the possibility of
releasing five Taliban guerrillas from Guantanamo Bay in 2011 and 2012, and administration
officials publicly and repeatedly vowed to return to Capitol Hill before making any final moves.
But with what they now say was a closing window to secure the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl,
Mr. Obama made the call to bypass Congress and make a deal swapping the five Taliban fighters in
exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl — and sparking a major constitutional battle with Congress.
Bergdahl,
Boko Haram and Benghazi. The release of five very high-value terrorist leaders as a
swap for one U.S. serviceman was the third strike against the Obama administration's policy of
defeat, dishonesty and self-delusion. When Congress starts investigating the Bergdahl case it
must broaden the analysis to look at the common patterns which connect it to the administration's
approach on two other national security questions: Boko Haram and Benghazi.
Outraged
by Bergdahl case, fellow soldiers break secrecy pledge to tell story. One of the most
striking elements of the Bowe Bergdahl affair is word that top Army officers were so anxious to
keep the matter a secret that they directed Bergdahl's fellow soldiers to sign a pledge of silence
about his 2009 decision to walk away from duty in Afghanistan. [...] Now, with Bergdahl back in
U.S. hands, many of those former soldiers are ignoring the agreement they signed. They feel
strongly that they must give their first-hand accounts of Bergdahl's acts so the public will see
him as the deserter they believe he is, and not as a hero.
Pols
desert President Obama amid election fears. As President Obama reels from widespread,
bipartisan criticism of a prisoner swap with Taliban forces in Afghanistan — with even
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's hometown canceling its welcome — the growing scandal is emerging as
just the latest political problem for Democrats facing tough re-election fights in November, with
possible ramifications for the 2016 presidential race. The town of Hailey, Idaho, population
8,000, swamped with hate mail and angry calls over Bergdahl after his fellow soldiers accused him
of desertion, yesterday canceled its plans for a big welcome-home rally.
Americans
the Obama Administration Will Leave Behind. It sickens me that the Obama
administration has been justifying ransoming terrorist leaders for a probable deserter by reciting
the creed that America never leaves a man behind. The Obama administration frequently leaves men
(and even children) to suffer and die, with minimal apparent effort on their behalf. A partial
list: [...]
Body
Language Expert: Bowe Bergdahl Seemed Reluctant to Leave Captors. The mystery and
controversy surrounding U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl only deepened Wednesday with the release
of a Taliban video documenting his transfer into American hands. Gonzaga University
anthropologist David B. Givens says the widely disseminated video, which shows a wan-looking
Bergdahl being marched by his captors to three Special Forces soldiers and an Army helicopter,
reveals a prisoner reluctant to part from his captors.
Barack H. Obama was thrilled, too. Taliban
'was thrilled' when deserter Sgt Bergdahl's father thanked 'Allah the merciful' in his White House
press conference. The Taliban was 'thrilled' when Bowe Bergdahl's father 'claimed the White House for Islam' by thanking Allah in his
press conference with President Obama, it has been claimed. The father of the freed soldier — who
former colleagues claim was a deserter — said he was speaking Arabic and Pashto because his son's
English was poor after five years in captivity. But commentators accused him of giving the
Taliban a priceless propaganda tool, with one saying extremist sources in Pakistan were delighted.
Newly
freed soldier's Idaho hometown cancels rally amid backlash. The hometown of U.S. Army
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, feeling a backlash over allegations that he was a deserter, has canceled a
rally planned for later this month celebrating his release from five years of Taliban captivity,
officials said on Wednesday [6/4/2014].
Bergdahl's
Hometown Reportedly Calls Off Planned Celebration. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was expected to
get a hero's welcome in his hometown of Hailey, Idaho, but as more information comes out about
Bergdahl possibly being a deserter whose actions led to other soldiers dying, the tide has turned,
and now Reuters' Mark Felsenthal reports that the town of Hailey has called off its planned
celebration for Bergdahl's return.
Pelosi
backs Obama on Bergdahl exchange. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi today defended
President Barack Obama's decision to swap five suspected Taliban members for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl without notifying Congress and said she would have supported the move if it had been done
by a Republican commander in chief.
Afghan
villagers recall when Bergdahl stumbled into their midst. Until now, few details have
emerged about the circumstances of Bergdahl's disappearance from his base. But The Washington Post
has reached Afghan villagers who spotted Bergdahl shortly after he slipped away from his base. To
them, it's clear something was wrong with the American. And he seemed to be deliberately heading
for Taliban strongholds, they say.
Hillary
Clinton Was Skeptical of Taliban-Bergdahl Swap. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
was personally and intensely involved in the debate over swapping five Taliban commanders for Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl in 2011 and 2012. But she had severe reservations about the potential deal, and
demanded stricter conditions for the release of the prisoners than what President Obama settled for
last week.
Fmr.
Soldier: Military Told Unit to 'Not Tell the Truth' About Bergdahl. In an appearance
on Fox & Friends on Wednesday [6/4/2014], retired Army Spc. Josh Fuller, a soldier who
served with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl since 2008, said that the military informed him and other soldiers
that the "narrative" they should maintain is that Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban rather than
that he intentionally left his base. When asked if he believed he was told not to "tell the truth"
about Bergdahl by military authorities, Fuller said that he did.
A Clash of Cultures.
According to NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd, the White House expected "euphoria" over the
release of the last American soldier held captive in Afghanistan and was completely blindsided by
the wave of outrage with which the Bergdahl swap was greeted. [...] They expected the country as
a whole to be delighted by the same things that pleased them.
Chuck
Todd: White House Aides Accuse Vets of 'Swift Boating Bergdahl'. With Democrats, the
term "swift boat" or "swift boating" is used as a pejorative to attack political opponents as
liars. Democrats want the public to believe that John Kerry was "swift boated" unfairly during his
2004 presidential run when a number of the men he served with in Vietnam came forward to claim that
Kerry had wildly exaggerated his war exploits. They called themselves "Swift Boat Veterans for
Truth," hence the term "swift boating." Kerry never proved his wartime claims and still refuses
to release his full military record.
Obama
admin. told wary military officials to 'suck it up and salute' on Taliban release:
Time. The Obama administration sent a message for years to wary military and
intelligence officials who believed the release of the Taliban Five would come back to haunt the
U.S.: 'Suck it up and salute.' Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Noori, Abdul Haq Wasiq,
Khairullah Khairkhwa and Mohammed Nabi Omari were all deemed in 2008 to be at "high risk" for
returning to the battlefield if released, but that did not stop the White House from releasing them
in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl over the weekend.
Administration
bypassed intel community to pursue Bergdahl trade, shelved ransom plan. The Obama
administration largely bypassed the intelligence community to green-light the risky swap of five
Taliban leaders for American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, officials tell Fox News, as new details emerge
about concerns with the deal at the highest levels of President Obama's team. A military
intelligence source also confirmed to Fox News that a second option — involving the payment of a
cash ransom for Bergdahl's freedom — was pursued as late as December 2013.
Bowe
Bergdahl 'wanted to renounce US citizenship'. Bowe Bergdahl declared that he wanted
to renounce his US citizenship in a note that he left behind in his tent before disappearing "to
start a new life", according to former members of his army unit. Some soldiers who served
alongside him believe that he may also have walked off their remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan
on previous occasions, possibly trying to contact the Taliban, and returned unharmed.
State
Dep't: 'Probably Very Good Reasons' Not to Give Details of Taliban Deal With Qatar.
Amid reports that Qatar will allow five senior Taliban terrorists freed from Guantanamo Bay in the
controversial Bergdahl exchange to move around freely, a State Department spokeswoman on Tuesday
repeatedly declined to discuss "specifics" of the agreement struck with Qatar. Marie Harf said
the deal involved "very sensitive diplomatic negotiations" involving the Gulf state and there were
"probably very good reasons" not to make the details public.
Marco
Rubio blasts Obama for breaking law by not telling Congress of Bergdahl terror trade.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio admonished president Barack Obama today for going behind Congress's
back to get missing soldier Bowe Bergdahl released. Rubio said Obama 'didn't follow the law' when
he unilaterally made the decision to release five Guantanamo Bay detainees with ties to the Taliban
in exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl. 'We have a law in this country, it says you have to notify
[Congress] within in 30 days,' Rubio, a Republican on the Senate's Select Committee on
Intelligence, told MailOnline. 'He completely ignored it. He's gone rogue.'
Harry
Reid, On Freed Taliban, Says He's 'Glad To Get Rid Of These Five People'. nator Harry
Reid added fuel to the fire that this prisoner exchange was less about returning a POW to the
United States and more about closing down Guantanamo Bay, which Barack Obama repeatedly promised to
do when running for President in 2007. In a seemingly off-hand comment, Reid blames Republicans for
keeping the prisoners in custody, and said he was "glad" that the five Taliban were out of
Guantanamo Bay.
Hagel
not aware of any soldiers killed in search for Sgt. Bergdahl. Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel said Wednesday that he didn't know of any troops who had died in the search for Army Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl, amid a growing controversy over whether the former Taliban prisoner deserted his
unit. "I do not know of specific circumstances or details of U.S. solders dying as a result of
efforts to find and rescue Sgt. Bergdahl," Hagel said at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium,
where he met with NATO defense ministers, Reuters reported.
Mark
Levin: The Bergdahl exchange was NOT a POW exchange. Mark Levin said last night
[6/2/2014] on his radio show that despite the fact that the administration is touting the line that
the Bergdahl exchange was a prisoner exchange, he said that is absolutely not true and never has
been true under the Geneva Convention: ["]This is not a POW exchange like past wars. Terrorists
are not and have never been considered prisoners of war, not even under the Geneva Convention.
Article Five. They're illegal enemy combatants or if you prefer unlawful enemy combatants. You've
got Carney saying this. You've got Hagel saying this. This is the party line. I'm waiting
on them to pull out some video from some guy in California.["]
What
if Team Obama had just told the truth about Bowe Bergdahl? There is substantial evidence to suggest that
Bergdahl abandoned his post in 2009 — he went AWOL, he deserted, whatever one calls it, Bergdahl walked away
from the U.S. Army and his fellow soldiers while on duty in a war zone. So why did the White House send National
Security Adviser Susan Rice to the Sunday shows to claim that Bergdahl "served the United States with honor and distinction"?
The case for impeachment
of Barack Hussein Obama. This morning [6/3/2014] on WMALs "Morning on the Mall"
radio show with hosts Brian and Larry I was asked a simple question relating to the Taliban
prisoner release and impeachment of the president. I responded yes that in this current case, the
U.S. House of Representatives should file articles of impeachment against Barack Hussein Obama.
[...] Why would the United States acquiesce to the demands of a non-state, non-uniform terrorist
organization — the Taliban? The Taliban is our enemy and it is not a nation-state with whom we
should enter into negotiations. There are some 141 detainees at GITMO. The five released were
senior Taliban officials, basically members of Mullah Omar's inner circle. If we wanted to release
detainees in exchange for Bergdahl, there were many others to choose from. Why these?
Bowe
Bergdahl had deserted before and officers KNEW he was a risk. A U.S. Army
investigation found that Bowe Bergdahl had walked away from his post at least once before his
capture — and that other soldiers in his unit knew he was a flight risk. The 2010 report, called
an AR15-6, is still classified, but it appears to confirm allegations that the former prisoner of
war violated military regulations — and that the Pentagon knew it all along. The revelation,
attributed to anonymous sources by the Military Times, comes as the nation's top general, Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, acknowledged the growing cloud of suspicion hanging
over Bergdahl.
The
trade that turned toxic for Obama. The Taliban have released a propaganda video of
the moment accused deserter U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was handed over to American troops in
eastern Afghanistan — a trade that has since become a major embarrassment for the president. The
footage reveals that Bergdahl is able to walk unaided, despite claims by U.S. officials that his
health had been key in the decision to act quickly in the prisoner swap. The swift move meant that
the president illegally failed to notify Congress before the trade, Republicans have said. In the
video, which emerged overnight, Bergdahl is clean shaven with a shaved head and dressed in a white
salwar kameez waiting in a white pick-up truck as Taliban militants stand outside.
Taliban
Video Shows Handover of Sgt. Bergdahl to U.S. Forces. The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday [6/4/2014]
released a propaganda video showing the handover of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held captive for
nearly five years, to U.S. Special Operations Forces in a remote part of eastern Khost province.
The video, posted on a Taliban website, shows Sgt. Bergdahl with a shaved head and no eyebrows. He
is wearing Afghan clothing, looking gaunt and dazed, rapidly blinking his eyes.
Surrender without
honor. President Obama betrayed the highest obligation of his office — safeguarding
national security — in trading five hard-core Taliban for the American serviceman who appears to
have deserted in Afghanistan. The five sworn enemies of the United States are now in the Gulf
state of Qatar, where they are free to come and go as they like, beyond the watch of American
agents. In just one year, they will be free to return to Afghanistan to fight there and stage
terror attacks far beyond that country's borders. These facts were known to Obama when he made the
deal, and yet he went ahead in irresponsible disregard for lives he has endangered. As the facts
have emerged — and more surely will — it has become ever clearer that
he lost his presidential compass in the Taliban swap.
Don't Like Dealing with
Terrorists? Bring Them Down. Hostage negotiations between a Western democracy and a
hostile totalitarian regime lopsidedly favor the evil regime. Its leaders do not care about human
life, while ours are often driven by concern over the fate of their citizens.
How Obama Lost His Mojo.
It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. One pen-and-phone executive action driving the
stubborn VA scandal out of the limelight, welcoming home an American held captive by our enemies.
The vanquisher of Osama bin Laden now bringing home the last prisoner of war. The optics would be
great: sharing the Rose Garden spotlight with grateful parents, and a hero's welcome from small
town, USA in rustic Idaho. And as a bonus, Gitmo would get 5 very troublesome inmates closer
to empty. He would cap the week in which he announced the pullout from Afghanistan with a triumphal
return. But the exchange of Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban kingpins hasn't worked out as planned.
Questions
remain over how the 5 Taliban prisoners will be monitored in Qatar. Despite President
Obama's assurances Tuesday that five released Taliban fighters will be closely monitored, there's
reason to wonder. Obama declared that the prisoner swap creates "a structure in which we can
monitor their activities," but exactly how the Qatari government will keep an eye on the five
former detainees was not clear. The U.S. has significant economic and military relations with
Qatar, including a highly classified facility there that oversaw surveillance missions for the Iraq
and Afghanistan wars.
Can
Bowe Bergdahl Be Tied to 6 Lost Lives? Facts Are Murky. Did the search for Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl cost the lives of American soldiers? Since last weekend's prisoner exchange in which
Afghan insurgents turned over Sergeant Bergdahl after five years of captivity, a number of the men
who served with him have called him a deserter. Some have gone further, blaming him for the deaths
of six to eight soldiers. That second claim is hardening into a news media narrative.
NBC
News Pentagon Reporter: Bergdahl Appears in 'Remarkably Good Shape'. The Obama
administration's chief reasoning for sidestepping congressional notification in the prisoner swap
for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was concern over the captive's deteriorating health. But after a video —
released by the Taliban Wednesday morning [6/4/2014] but not yet confirmed by the Pentagon — showing
Bergdahl's transfer into American custody, NBC News Chief Pentagon Correspondent Jim Miklaszewski
said on Morning Joe Bergdahl appeared on film to be in fine health.
The Editor says...
In other words, the urgency of the prisoner swap was just another Obama lie.
Hero's
Welcome Planned for Bergdahl in Idaho. Despite the continuous stream of information
surfacing about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's state of mind when leaving his platoon in Afghanistan in 2009,
supporters of Bergdahl are still planning to hold a welcome home celebration for the young soldier,
whom the administration exchanged for five top Taliban leaders on May 31. Former platoon members
have stepped forward and accused Bergdahl of being a "deserter." The New York Times is now
reporting Bergdahl left a note explaining his desertion prior to abandoning his post. Additionally,
others have charged that the mission to rescue him cost the lives of other U.S. military servicemen.
I Beg Your Pardon.
The ceremony in the Rose Garden celebrating the return of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl must be the most
misbegotten photo op of all time. In addition to President Obama, both Bergdgahl mère and père
spoke. It seemed to me bizarre beyond belief, a photo op gone wrong. Was Mr. Bergdahl vetted? Did
anyone in the White House notice that Mr. Bergdahl seems to have gone over to the other side? As
Paul notes, the scene now has the Washington Post working overtime to cover for Obama. Obama's
handlers didn't hold it against Mr. Bergdahl that he was "still working to free all Guantanamo
prisoners," in the words of his now deleted tweet. Okay, in that respect, he's just like Obama.
Breitbart
Senior Editor Ben Shapiro's Stunning New Book: Prosecute Obama — Now!. In the wake
of new accusations about illegality in President Obama's handling of the trade of five senior
Taliban commanders/terrorists for accused AWOL Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, millions of Americans are now
beginning to understand just what CNN's Joe Johns asked White House press secretary Jay Carney:
does President Obama feel as if "he's above the law"? The answer: of course he does.
Mad
Magazine Destroys Obama's Taliban Swap. Count Mad Magazine as the first pop culture
institution to target President Barack Obama's Taliban prisoner swap. It's hard to imagine any
other humorist in any other medium hitting back quite so hard in the days to come.
Time
Magazine: Obama Didn't 'Negotiate with Terrorists' But Other Presidents Did.
Time magazine is rushing to President Obama's side to defend him against the charge that he
negotiated with terrorists to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The magazine tells
readers that the maxim that America doesn't negotiate with terrorists is more of a general ideal
than a hard-bound policy and cites several other presidents who, the magazine claims, did negotiate
with terrorists.
Sources:
Bergdahl may have walked off base more than once. An internal military investigation
found that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl intentionally sneaked away from his forward operating base in
Afghanistan just before he disappeared in 2009 — and that may not have been the first time he left
the post without permission, according to officials familiar with the probe. "We have no
indication that he intended to leave permanently," one government official familiar with the
investigation told Military Times. Several soldiers in Bergdahl's unit told investigators that
Bergdahl talked about his desire to leave the base unaccompanied and that he may have done so and
returned unharmed at least once before the night he disappeared for good, the official said.
Obama
Compares His Actions to Washington, Lincoln, FDR. "This is what happens at the end of
wars," President Barack Obama said Tuesday when he was asked about swapping American Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl for five Taliban terrorists. "That was true for George Washington, that was true for
Abraham Lincoln, that was true for FDR. That's been true of every combat situation, that at some
point, you make sure that you try to get your folks back. And that's the right thing to do."
Speaking in Poland, Obama said it doesn't matter how Bergdahl ended up with the Taliban: [...]
State
Dept: Bergdahl Knows Circumstances of His Capture Better Than Squad Mates. When Fox
News reporter Lucas Tomlinson asked, "Does the State Department consider Sergeant Bergdahl to be a
deserter?" [deputy spokeswoman Marie] Harf replied, "The State Department — no, Lucas.
Look, what we've said is we are going to learn the facts about what happened here." "He's been in
captivity, Lucas. I think he's probably the person who knows best what happened on that night," Harf said.
Tomlinson shot back, "Well, I think his squad mates have the best indication what happened that night."
"I don't think that that's the case," Harf responded.
Sgt.
Buetow: Radio Chatter Indicated Bergdahl Sought Meeting with Taliban. Sgt. Evan Buetow was Bowe Bergdahl's team
leader in Afghanistan. Buetow says radio chatter shortly after Bergdahl deserted indicated he was seeking someone in the
Taliban who could speak English. In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Buetow says shortly after Bergdahl disappeared he
encountered two Afghan children who claimed they'd seen a lone American soldier crawling through the reeds. Within
a day of that moment, Buetow was standing by a radio where translators were listening to chatter.
Obama
Told Harry Reid about Bergdahl Swap, Not John Boehner or Mitch McConnell. President Obama didn't keep
Congress entirely in the dark in the lead-up to exchanging five Taliban leaders for captive U.S. Army sergeant Bowe
Bergdahl, he just didn't tell Republican leadership. Obama did inform Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D.,
Nev.) that the exchange was imminent. "It must have been either the day before or the day of. I
don't remember for sure," Reid told Politico. House speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) received no such notification.
Inside
the Obama administration's debate over freeing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. With Bergdahl's mother and father by his side,
Obama celebrated the soldier's return Saturday [5/31/2014] as a late milestone in the United States' longest war and a
necessary step in helping conclude America's post-9/11 era. But an increasing number of Republicans said Tuesday [6/3/2014]
that they would not have freed five Taliban commanders from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for one soldier.
Taliban
used haggard look of Bergdahl in last video to expedite trade. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel cited Sgt. Bergdahl's
health as a prime factor in trading five senior Taliban commanders for his release. Before that, officials said Sgt.
Bergdahl was fed, clothed in local garb and allowed to exercise, and he wrote at least one letter home to Hailey, Idaho.
The U.S.-designated terrorist group wanted the release of senior Taliban fighters who one day could help bring down the new
democracy in Afghanistan, so the sergeant's health was important, a U.S. official said. The official and other sources
for this report requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters freely.
White House Overrode Internal
Objections to Taliban Prisoner Release. To pull off the prisoner swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl, the White House overrode an existing interagency process charged with debating the transfer of Guantanamo Bay
prisoners and dismissed long-standing Pentagon and intelligence community concerns based on Top Secret intelligence about
the dangers of releasing the five men, sources familiar with the debate tell Time. National Security Council
officials at the White House decline to describe the work of the ad hoc process they established to trade the prisoners,
or to detail the measures they have taken to limit the threat the Taliban officials may pose.
Prisoner
Deal Puts President on Defensive. The White House argued on Tuesday that the "unique
circumstances" presented by the opportunity to return Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl gave President Obama the
authority to lawfully bypass a federal statute requiring the Pentagon to notify Congress a month
before he transferred the five Taliban detainees necessary to complete the deal. But the White
House was forced by turns to defend its decision not to notify Congress and to send important aides
to apologize to angry lawmakers who said they were left out of the decision.
The Editor says...
Everyone in the world encounters "unique circumstances" every day. Apologies do not suffice,
especially when you send your minions to do the dirty work instead of owning up to your error in person.
A
Matter of Honor: Why So Many Soldiers Are Angry at the Bergdahl Deal. Desertion is a
crime. Even worse it's a crime that — in the context of a modern deployment — requires rather
considerable malice aforethought. Many civilians don't realize this, but every sentient deployed
soldier — especially those deployed with combat units — knew that the disappearance of an
American soldier was a matter of the highest priority. Specific code words would rocket up the
chain of command the instant a soldier was unaccounted for, and all available units would
immediately initiate a search — a search that the missing soldier would know would be extremely
dangerous and would by necessity require a massive American presence on roads and in communities
that were "uncleared" or known to be littered with IEDs and full of insurgents. In other words,
Bergdahl knew that men would risk life and limb to find him and knew that men would likely die.
Yet the available evidence indicates he walked off anyway.
In
Idaho hometown, Bowe Bergdahl's legacy in limbo. The initial euphoria in Idaho over
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release is turning to alarm over reports that the long-held prisoner of
war may have been a deserter. Yellow ribbons, balloons and signs reading, "Bowe is Free At Last"
still decorate Main Street in Sgt. Bergdahl's hometown of Hailey, Idaho, but criticism of the newly
released Taliban prisoners is starting to temper the excitement on social media and talk radio.
"Well, he didn't leave the base to go get a six-pack down at the local Stinker store, that's all I
know, brother," said a caller to KBOI-AM talk-show host Nate Shellman in Boise. Hailey Mayor
Fritz Haemmerle issued a statement Monday saying that the city "respectfully requests that people
do not pre-judge this young man."
An
unfair trade for an undeserving deserter. Was it because the administration has for
months been hot-stepping it from one disaster to the next and, in the depths of depraved cynicism,
needed a political "win" to change the conversation? Well, nobody is talking about all the
veterans being abused and dying in VA hospitals anymore. Was it so President Obama could finally
make good on his reckless — though apparently vacant — promise to close Gitmo within the first
100 days of his first term? Five down, how many more terrorists to go now that this new soldier
marketplace is open for business?
Anger
explodes over treatment of Bergdahl's release as veterans, troops call him a deserter.
From military forums across the country, a groundswell of anger is rising over the Obama administration's
silence on perhaps the most controversial question surrounding the deal that freed Bergdahl in exchange for
five senior Taliban members: Was he a deserter? [...] Military-related blogs, Twitter accounts and
Facebook pages were filled with screeds from commenters accusing Bergdahl of being a "traitor" or a
Taliban "collaborator." The online publication The Daily Beast published a nearly 2,000-word
first-person account by a former Army infantry officer who said he was privy to details of Bergdahl's
disappearance and who stated flatly that "he was a deserter, and soldiers from his own unit died
trying to track him down."
Congress
has had concerns about Bowe Bergdahl swap for years. The prisoner swap was first
proposed to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, along with the top Democrats and Republicans of
relevant Senate and House committees, on November 30, 2011. [...] House Republican aides say
congressional leaders were so concerned about the idea that they ordered staff to stay late that
night, drafting a letter listing questions about the proposal. That letter, dated December 12,
2011, was signed by Boehner, House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., and others.
Senate Democrats
Go AWOL. On Sunday [6/1/2014], Senator Claire McCaskill gave a full-throated defense
of the president's decision to release five Taliban commanders from the Guantanamo prison in
exchange for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. "We saved this man's life. The commander-in-chief acted within
his constitutional authority, which he should have done," McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, told
Fox News host Chris Wallace. "I'm very proud that we have no POWs left in Afghanistan and the
president should be proud of it also." But following multiple reports that Bergdahl deserted his
post and soldiers died searching for him, McCaskill will no longer say she still supports the deal
she was "very proud" of just 48 hours ago.
The
story you haven't yet heard about Bowe Bergdahl's desertion. Five years ago, one of
the brave soldiers who risked his life to search for Bergdahl answered my questions and I published
his statement on July 20, 2009: "I know the story and the accounts that he was drunk or that he
was lagging behind on patrol are not true — this soldier planned this move for a long time. He
walked off the post with a day's supply of water and had written down before that he wanted to live
in the mountains... he is an embarrassment to everyone who has worn the uniform." After news broke
this weekend of President Obama's trade of 5 high-level Taliban commanders at Gitmo for Bergdahl's
"freedom," I heard from another soldier who served on the search team. "Many of my brothers died
because of PFC Bergdahl's actions, and this has been a very hard day for all Geronimos," he told me
after documenting his proof of service. Other journalists ignored his attempts to get the truth
out. My source still holds a highly sensitive position, so you won't see him all over the cable
news shows. But he wants all of you to know the hell he and his comrades have been reliving:
[...]
After
Bowe Bergdahl, what about Alan Gross? As much as I empathize with Bergdahl's family
and respect the "leave no soldier behind" ethos, I am swayed by the murky circumstances preceding
his capture — was he intending to desert? — and the riskiness of the release.
What would the president say to the parents of a soldier killed in the hunt for Bergdahl — or, worse, to
civilians murdered in a future terrorist plot masterminded by the detainees previously determined
too dangerous to allow to leave Guantanamo? What makes that calculus suddenly safer for the United
States?
Why
Team Obama Was Blindsided by the Bergdahl Backlash. Congratulations, Mr. President!
And identical congrats to your sorcerer's apprentice, National Security Adviser Susan Rice. By
trying to sell him as an American hero, you've turned a deserter already despised by soldiers in
the know into quite possibly the most-hated individual soldier in the history of our military.
I have never witnessed such outrage from our troops.
Military
brass try to damp down furor over Bergdahl. The nation's top military leaders
scrambled Tuesday to temper the clamor over the deal that traded five senior Taliban members for
captive Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, amid some soldiers' claims that he went AWOL in 2009 before his
abduction by Taliban insurgents. Army Secretary John McHugh said the controversial case will be
reviewed after Bergdahl recovers from his five years in captivity, which ended Saturday when he was
exchanged for the five Taliban. McHugh said Army officials want to talk with the Idaho serviceman
about his mysterious disappearance, but only after his health is restored.
Hillary's
secret 'lunch' with prez raises questions. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl officially became an issue in
the 2016 presidential race this week when Hillary Clinton backed the president's reckless swap for the soldier with
the Taliban. It looks good for both President Obama and Clinton, the presumed front-runner for her party, that
the Democrats stopped the war in Afghanistan and left no one on the battlefield, Christopher Bedford, managing
editor at dailycaller.com, told Herald Radio. What doesn't look so good is the coincidence that the
president did not initially disclose his lunch date with the former Secretary of State last week.
Washington
Post Has Obama's Back on Robert Bergdahl. Robert Bergdahl is a already a major
embarrassment for President Obama. Not only did the senior Bergdahl, with his Taliban-style beard,
break into Pashto and Arabic during Obama's would-be photo opportunity, he has made a string of
anti-American, pro-Taliban statements. The potential for further embarrassment seems great.
Bergdahl either loves to explain himself, loves the sound of his own voice, or both. It's not
clear to me whether Obama cares about the fall-out at this point. However, his backers do.
First
lady vs. lunch ladies: Behind the scenes. For the first three years of Obama's Let's
Move! campaign, the School Nutrition Association, a powerful group that represents 55,000 cafeteria
professionals, was a close ally in the White House push to get kids to eat healthier. [...]
Fast-forward to today: SNA is standing shoulder to shoulder with House Republicans, pushing to
grant schools waivers from the requirements if they are losing money and aiming to relax the
standards when the law is reauthorized next year.
13
Things You Need to Know About Bowe Bergdahl. The late Michael Hastings wrote the
definitive magazine profile of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for Rolling Stone in June 2012. Now that
America's Last Prisoner of War has been released, in a prisoner exchange for five high-ranking
Taliban officials, Hastings' piece continues to offer crucial context [...]
Taliban
claim captured U.S. solider has converted to Islam and is teaching its fighters bomb-making
skills. A captured American soldier is training Taliban fighters bomb-making and
ambush skills, according to one of his captors and Afghan intelligence officials. Private Bowe
Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 while based in eastern Afghanistan and is thought to be the only
U.S. serviceman in captivity. The 24-year-old has converted to Islam and now has the Muslim name
Abdullah, one of his captors told The Sunday Times.
Obama
defends Bergdahl release. To free Bergdahl, the United States released five Taliban
detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama said he received assurances from Qatar's
government that it would restrict the future movements by these detainees, who have been involved
in terrorist operations.
Watch
Obama's face as Bergdahl's dad invoked Allah in Arabic. I am not knowledgeable enough
to judge the claim of sanctifying the White House and claiming it for Islam, but I place a lot of
stock in watching nonverbal cues, people's quick reactions. And so, when our friends at
iOwnTheWorld.com captured and enlarged President Obama's reaction to Bergdahl's invocation of
Allah, it hit me hard. Watch for yourself and see if it means anything to you. [Video clip]
Did
Bowe Bergdahl Purposefully Offer Himself as a Bargaining Chip? Before he disappeared
from his base in Afghanistan in 2009, according to Daily Mail quotes from a Rolling Stone
magazine article, Bowe Bergdahl is alleged to have written e-mails to his parents that not merely
questioned policy, but are said to have included "I am ashamed to be an American. And the title of
U.S. soldier is just the lie of fools. I am sorry for everything. The horror that is America is
disgusting." His father, about whom much is coming to light, is quoted in a reply telling his son,
"OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE!" This was before the disappearance. In 2009, according to accounts of
fellow soldiers, Sgt. Bergdahl failed to show up for morning roll call after guard duty the prior
night at their outpost. They found his body armor, rifle, helmet, and web gear neatly left behind.
It is reported that at least 6 soldiers were killed in subsequent efforts to find him, and those
who survived were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Obama:
White House told Congress about possible Bowe Bergdahl swap. President Obama in
Poland on Tuesday [6/3/2014] said his administration had "consulted with Congress for quite some
time about the possibility" of a deal for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, hitting back at GOP critics who say
he broke the law in swapping five Guantanamo Bay detainees for the American prisoner of war. [...]
Republican lawmakers say they were not given a 30-day notice, as required by law, about the
transfer of the Gitmo detainees. And critics say Obama set a dangerous precedent that could put a
future price on American prisoners of war.
Qatar
Allowing Freed Taliban Men to Move Freely in Country. Qatar has moved five Afghan Taliban prisoners freed
in exchange for a U.S. soldier to a residential compound and will let them move freely in the country, a senior Gulf
official said on Tuesday [6/3/2014], a step likely to be scrutinized by Washington.
Dempsey
says military may still pursue desertion investigation on Bergdahl. The Army may
still pursue an investigation that could lead to desertion or other charges against Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl, who was freed from five years of Taliban captivity in a prisoner exchange last weekend,
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday [6/3/2014].
5
things Obama doesn't want you to know about the Taliban prisoner deal. [#2] Part of
the appeal of Bergdahl's release from Obama's point of view is the largely unnoticed detail that it
reduced the prisoner population at Guantanamo by five, down under 140. Obama vows a lot of things
and one of his earliest promises was to close the prison. Congress stymied his efforts to bring the
prisoners to the homeland. So, another option for Obama (Does this sound familiar?) is to go
around Congress and simply empty the place out through releases. This despite studies showing at
least one-third of released detainees return to battle.
Obama defends prisoner
exchange for Bergdahl. The Army will conduct "a comprehensive, coordinated" review
into the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — the recently freed soldier whom some have deemed a hero,
others a deserter — the military branch's civilian leader announced Tuesday [6/3/2014].
Did
Hillary know about the Bergdahl swap last week? Last week, the White House caused a
stir among the press corps by failing to announce that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had met for
a private lunch. Reporters began questioning the White House after People Magazine tweeted about
the Thursday lunch meeting, which was not part of the public presidential schedule. People Magazine
deleted the tweet, but the White House finally confirmed that "The president enjoyed an informal,
private lunch with Secretary Clinton at the White House this afternoon" later in the day. Now
Republicans are wondering just how informal that lunch was.
Politico
Honchos 'Jump the Shark' To Defend Obama's Taliban Release. Blake Hounshell, an editor at Politico Magazine,
downplayed Obama's decision to release five Taliban leaders in exchange for Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, based on the fact
that the five terrorists are not "ninjas." On his verified Twitter feed Hounshell wrote, "What's the argument
that these five Taliban guys are so dangerous? Are they ninjas? Do they have superpowers?"
To the Rear March.
It would be a mistake to think that Bergdahl — assuming he in fact deserted his post — performed
no service. Had he stayed with his unit no one would even have remembered his name. As it was he
handed his commander-in-chief, Barack Obama, the unequaled opportunity to reach out to the Taliban
by handing them a bargaining chip in the person of himself — a chip Obama promptly played against
Congress. For were it not for Bergdahl, Obama would have lacked any pretext to spring five senior
Taliban members, in despite of the process required by law. As it was the Taliban were simply
whisked out of jail and sent to a heroes welcome in Qatar. The reason given was exigency; the
assertion that Obama had to save Bergdahl. Wittingly or unwittingly he served as a pawn to
advance the wishes of his commander in chief. Obama owes him one.
Jake
Tapper: Hillary 'Definitely' Should Be Questioned on Bergdahl. On Monday's [6/2/2014]
Hugh Hewitt radio show, CNN's "The Lead" anchor Jake Tapper said that former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton "definitely" should be questioned about her involvement in the exchange of five
terrorists from Guantanamo Bay for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. He said that "there's very
little that should be off the table" considering Clinton's status as former secretary of state and
a prospective presidential candidate, and that asking Clinton about the prisoner exchange was
"definitely fair."
Except in Benghazi... Obama:
The US never leaves a man behind. Barack Obama may be in Warsaw as part of a European tour,
but in a real sense he's stuck in Washington. At a joint press conference after a state meeting in
Poland, Obama got questioned about the deal that exchanged Bowe Bergdahl for five high-ranking Taliban
detainees, including two wanted by the UN for crimes against humanity. Obama mainly avoided
discussing the detainees, although he insisted that he was "confident" that the US could prevent them
from being a threat to American security in the future.
Soldier
Who Served with Bergdahl: All He Did Was 'Get Real Heroes Killed'. Appearing on MSNBC
on Tuesday, Retired U.S. Army Pfc. Jose Baggett, a soldier who served with captured Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl, scolded those who are calling the freed Taliban prisoner a "hero." Baggett said that
Bergdahl apparently deserted his post, and that one of his most significant contributions to the
American mission in Afghanistan was to "get real heroes killed." "There were three general orders
that we have, and one of them is that I will not leave my post until properly relieved," Baggett
said. "And he obviously did that purposefully and walked off into the night."
Hillary
Clinton Defends 'Tough' Decision on Bergdahl Prisoner Swap. Hillary Clinton gave a
cautious defense Monday night of the deal to swap a captive U.S. soldier for five Guantanamo Bay
detainees, saying the Obama administration had faced a "tough" decision. The former secretary of
state and potential 2016 candidate said the agreement to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
was similar to many reached by America's allies, but noted: "We have a long way to go before we
really know how this is going to play out."
The Editor says...
There you have a typical stonewall response: We have a long way to go, etc., and then after you
wait a few months for the answers, they will tell you, "that's ancient history. Move on!"
Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs: Sgt. Bergdahl to Be Investigated. The most powerful officer in
the U.S. military, General Martin E. Dempsey, Chair of the Joint Chiefs, has not ruled out the
possibility of a court-martial of Sgt. Bergdahl for desertion. Using the platform of his Facebook
page, General Dempsey made the following statement: "As for the circumstances of his capture, when
he is able to provide them, we'll learn the facts," he wrote. "Our Army's leaders will not look
away from misconduct if it occurred."
American
Exceptionalism In the Time Of Obama. I'm ready to concede that President Obama
believes in American exceptionalism — his own version, in which American does things so perverse
that no other country in history would even contemplate them. [...] For example, the spectacle
involving the Bergdahls transcends anything [Jimmy] Carter could have concocted (at least during
his presidency). Any president can botch a complicated rescue mission, as Carter did. Only an
exceptional one could produce the Homeland meets Manchurian Candidate production that Obama has
delivered by securing the release of Bowe Bergdahl.
Bowe
Bergdahl's Vanishing Before Capture Angered His Unit. Sometime after midnight on June 30,
2009, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying he had become disillusioned with
the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life.
He slipped off the remote military outpost in Paktika Province on the border with Pakistan and took
with him a soft backpack, water, knives, a notebook and writing materials, but left behind his body
armor and weapons — startling, given the hostile environment around his outpost.
Obama:
Time was short to bring Bergdahl home. President Obama defended his decision Tuesday
to swap five senior Taliban figures held for years at the Guantanamo Bay military prison for one
American soldier, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the group for five years after disappearing
from his base in Afghanistan. "Regardless of the circumstances," said Mr. Obama, "we still get an
American soldier back." He said that was "what every mom and dad who has a son or daughter sent
over to the theater of war should expect."
The Editor would like to append to the last sentence:
... unless that son or daughter is a traitor and a deserter, in which case the parents should expect to hear a lot of
strange clicking sounds on their telephone and an assortment of black mini-vans parked in front of their house every night.
Chuck
Todd: White House Anticipated 'Euphoria' over Bergdahl Release. NBC News Chief White
House Correspondent Chuck Todd told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday [6/3/2014] that the White House has
been surprised by the concerned reaction to the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. He said
that the White House expected criticism of the decision to release five Taliban in exchange for
Bergdahl, but they also expected "euphoria" over the release of the last American soldier held
captive in Afghanistan.
Obama traded Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl as
a covert anti-war activist. President Barack Obama has much in common with Robert
Bergdahl, father of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, traded for five of the Taliban's most dangerous terrorists.
Both Bergdahl and Obama are active anti-war activists of the anti-American Code Pink stripe.
Robert Bergdahl made clear his anti-war activism with a deleted Tweet: "I am still working to free
all Guantanamo prisoners," the tweet said, according to various screen grabs. The tweet was
subsequently deleted. "God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen." (Washington
Post, June 2, 2014)
Should
Bowe Bergdahl Be Court-Martialed? The rationale was that the United States leaves no
soldier behind on the battlefield or in enemy hands. That is half of the equation. The
disconcerting other half is that Bergdahl may have left behind his own unit and gone over to the
enemy. In 2009, then Pvt. Bergdahl (automatically promoted in absentia to the rank of sergeant)
left his frontline unit under the cover of darkness. Soon after, the Taliban reported him in their
custody. For weeks, thousands of American soldiers risked their lives to rescue him.
WH
apologizes to Senate intel chief for prisoner swap secret. The White House has
apologized to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) for failing to
alert her in advance of a decision to release Taliban commanders from Guantanamo Bay. Feinstein
told reporters that she received a call from Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken on
Monday evening apologizing for what the administration is calling an "oversight." "I had a call
from the White House last night, from Tony Blinken, apologizing for it," she said. "He apologized
and said it was an oversight," she added.
U.S.
Army launches formal investigation into Bowe Bergdahl's desertion and captivity.
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is now the subject of a new government investigation after the Secretary of
the Army announced that they have launched a full inquiry into the mysterious circumstances
surrounding his 2009 disappearance. The Tuesday afternoon [6/3/2014] announcement comes after a spokesman
for the Taliban claimed that Bergdahl has been working as a collaborator with the terrorist
organization during his five years in captivity.
Obama's Dishonorable
Deal. In de facto negotiating with the Taliban and acceding to their demands,
the president violated a law he signed, requiring him to inform Congress 30 days in advance of any
prisoner release from Guantanamo Bay. And the effect of this deal will be to incentivize the
capture of more Americans, since it obviously pays dividends. Yet the Obama administration took
this humiliating accommodation and portrayed it as a victory of American values and purpose. The
president held a Rose Garden event on Saturday extolling the deal. National Security Adviser Susan
Rice referred to it as an "extraordinary day for America" that deserves to be "celebrated." And Ms.
Rice said of Sgt. Bergdahl, "He served the United States with honor and distinction."
What
was Susan Rice thinking when she praised Bowe Bergdahl? Susan Rice has done it
again. Defending the deal that freed Sgt Bowe Bergdahl from the Taliban, the national security
adviser declared that Bergdahl had "served the United States with honour and distinction". Yet, as
far back as 2010, the Pentagon found that Sgt Bergdahl had actually abandoned his post. Former
members of Bergdahl's unit are also condemning him — and now, as the Telegraph reports, the Army
has let it be known that it may still pursue an investigation that could lead to desertion charges.
Rice's comments raise a number of issues.
Sgt.
Bergdahl to the Firing Squad? Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army sergeant released from
Taliban custody Saturday in exchange for five of the fanatical Islamist group's leaders held at
Guantánamo Bay, may find himself in captivity again — this time in an American military prison.
Bergdahl, now 28, left or was taken from his base in Afghanistan in June 2009 after sending his
parents an email saying "life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to
spend it helping fools with their ideas that are wrong. ... I am ashamed to even be [A]merican,"
Rolling Stone reported in 2012.
Obama's
blunders over Bowe Bergdahl are a bad sign for what's left of his presidency. Even by
the standards of the Barack Obama second-term White House [...] the handling of Bowe Bergdahl's
release has been spectacular in its ineptitude. First Mr Obama goes to the Rose Garden for a
triumphant homecoming press conference with Mr Bergdahl's parents, who have been critical of him in
the past. Predictably, the stunt soon gets a little weird and uncomfortable when the the bearded Mr
Bergdahl begins [speaking] in his broken Pashto, saying who knew what? Then Susan Rice, the
national security adviser, takes to the Sunday talk shows (did no-one learn any lessons over
Benghazi?) to say that Bowe had served with "honour and distinction" when it quickly became cle
many of his comrades-in-arms, some of whom died searching for him when he wandered off the base,
absolutely did not share that view.
Could
Taliban He Freed Try to Harm U.S.? Obama: 'Absolutely'. President Barack Obama said
today in Poland that it was "absolutely" the case that the five Taliban he released from Guantanamo
Prison in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could try to return to efforts to harm the United States.
"Is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to
us? Absolutely," Obama said in Warsaw at an appearance with President Bronislaw Komorowski of
Poland. "That's been true of all the prisoners that were released from Guantanamo. There's a
certain recidivism rate that takes place. "
Pentagon
Spokesman: 'Doesn't Matter' How Bergdahl Ended Up With Taliban. Was Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl a deserter, as some of his platoon mates told Fox News Monday night? "It doesn't matter
how he was taken captive," press reports quoted a Pentagon spokesman as saying. "It doesn't matter
under what circumstances he left. It doesn't matter what his persuasions were, political or
otherwise. We have an obligation to recover all of those who are missing in action," Rear Adm. John
Kirby was quoted as saying on Monday [6/2/2014].
Team
Leader: Bergdahl Gave Info to Taliban. U.S. Army Sgt. Evan Buetow, Bowe Bergdahl's
former team leader said that he suspected the night that Bowe Bergdahl disappeared that he walked
away voluntarily. Buetow told CNN's "The Lead" anchor Jake Tapper that he "immediately" said
"[Bergdahl] walked away." Sgt. Buetow also confirmed earlier reports that Bergdahl left his body
armor, night vision, and weapon at the base, and that a child told the soldiers he saw an American
crawling in the weeds.
Jen
Psaki Picks Up Where Susan Rice Left Off on Bergdahl. State Dept. spokeswoman Jen
Psaki, who was last seen being openly mocked in a briefing last week, spoke on the release of Bowe
Bergdahl today. A Fox reporter asked Psaki why, if the US says it will go get any soldier held in
captivity, it isn't doing anything about the Marine being held in Mexico on specious gun
violations. Psaki did her best to make sense of it all. Unfortunately, Psaki's best really isn't
very good at all.
Hunt
for Bowe Bergdahl left troops unprotected in infamous Afghan battle that left EIGHT U.S. soldiers
dead and 22 wounded. The hunt for missing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl left U.S. military
outposts up and down the Afghanistan-Pakistan border shorthanded for months, costing eight American
soldiers their lives in the Battle of Kamdesh, according to a Pentagon official. Kamdesh was one
of the bloodiest battles in America's longest war and earned two U.S. servicemen America's highest
military decoration for bravery, the Medal of honor. The October 3, 2009 battle was so bloody,
wounding 22 Americans in addition to the eight dead, because support and additional troops were
spread out over a vast search area and unavailable to relieve the remote outpost, the official told
MailOnline.
5 Little-Known
Facts About The Bowe Bergdahl Controversy That The Media Is Largely Ignoring. [#1] In
2013, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney stated that the Obama administration would never
remove Guantanamo prisoners without consulting Congress: [...] [#2] Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid knew about the Bergdahl exchange, when the rest of Congress was left in the dark.
Hagel
called to testify on prisoner swap. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck
McKeon (R-Calif.) has asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to testify on the controversial prisoner
trade that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. "I am particularly troubled by the release of five
senior Taliban leaders, men with the blood of many on their hands, and the implications for our
deployed forces," McKeon said in a statement Tuesday [6/3/2014]. "I am no less concerned that the Obama
Administration broke a national security law, passed with bipartisan support and signed by the
President, in transferring these detainees.
Bergdahl
Team Leader to CNN: He's a 'Deserter' Who Sought Out the Taliban. In an appearance
on CNN with Jake Tapper on Tuesday, former Army Sgt. Evan Buetow, U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's
team leader on the night he disappeared from his base in Afghanistan, asserted that he had access
to radio intercepts which indicated that Bergdahl actively sought out the Taliban. Following
Bergdahl's capture, Buetow alleged, the Taliban's attacks on Americans became "far more directed."
Buetow told CNN that, within days of Bergdahl's disappearance, military teams monitoring radio
communications intercepted radio chatter and telephonic communication which indicated that an
American was searching for Taliban members who spoke English.
Jeffrey
Toobin: Obama 'Clearly Broke the Law' on Bergdahl. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin
declared on Monday that President Barack Obama "broke the law" when his administration failed to
give Congress notice of at least 30 days before releasing five ranking Taliban members from
Guantanamo Bay. Toobin said that a presidential signing statement did not absolve Obama from
culpability for failing to abide by the law mandating congressional notification. "I think he
clearly broke the law," Toobin said. "The law says 30-days' notice. He didn't give 30-days'
notice." Toobin added that Obama's opinion expressed in a signing statement "is not law."
"The law is on the books, and he didn't follow it," Toobin added.
Taliban
prisoner swap was illegal claims GOP as former federal prosecutor says it could lead to Obama's impeachment.
Barack Obama broke a federal law that he signed just six months ago when he authorized the release of five high-ranking
Taliban terror targets from the Guantanamo Bay detention center in exchange for the return of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl,
senior congressional Republicans claimed today. And the president may also have written a new chapter in the case for
his own impeachment, according to a former federal prosecutor who helped bring the 1993 World Trade Center bombers to
justice. 'The return of senior terrorists to the Taliban [is] ... a "high crime and misdemeanor",' author
Andrew C. McCarthy told MailOnline.
'We
Swore to an Oath and We Upheld Ours. He Did Not.' The Obama administration is facing
mounting questions about the controversial prisoner swap that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from
jihadists in Pakistan in exchange for the transfer and ultimate release of five senior Taliban
commanders previously held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Lawmakers are questioning the wisdom and
legality of the move. Intelligence officials are expressing deep concerns about its ramifications.
And those who served with Bergdahl — or took risks in the efforts to rescue
him — are directly challenging the Obama administration's characterization of the former
captive and his actions.
Pentagon
to review claims US soldiers killed during search for Bergdahl. The Pentagon said
Monday it is reviewing claims that U.S. soldiers were killed in the course of the years-long search
for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was released over the weekend by his Taliban captors. The sense
of celebration surrounding the announcement Saturday of Bergdahl's release quickly has given way to
controversy — including questions surrounding his initial disappearance from his eastern
Afghanistan post five years ago and the lengths to which U.S. forces went to find him. The names
and faces of six soldiers, who died allegedly during the search for Bergdahl, began to emerge
within hours of the soldier's release.
How
Obama Convinced His Spies to Support the Taliban Prisoner Release. Leaders of the
U.S. intelligence community and military were opposed to freeing five senior Taliban commanders in
exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl when the White House first began exploring the prisoner swap
in 2011 and 2012. [...] James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, according to three
U.S. intelligence officials flat out rejected the release of the five detainees, saying there was
too high a risk these Taliban commanders would return to the battlefield and orchestrate attacks
against Americans.
Carney
Asked if Released Taliban Prisoners Will Return to Battlefield: 'I Don't Predict the
Future'. When asked how the U.S. could guarantee that these five former detainees
would not return to "Taliban activities" in two or three years, Carney said that the Defense Dept.
concluded that their threat "mitigation" efforts were sufficient to ensure Americans are not at
risk because these prisoners have been released. "These five detainees do not and will not pose a
significant threat to the United States," Carney said. "But you can't say that they'll be back
with the Taliban," White House Dossier reporter Keith Koffler asked. "You can't say that that won't
happen." "I don't predict the future, Keith," Carney said.
The
curious case of Bob Bergdahl's apparent tweet to the Taliban. Since Army Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl was captured in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2009, his father had become an expert on
Guantanamo Bay's detainees. It was out of necessity, because the Taliban demanded that the United
States free prisoners from Guantanamo in exchange for Bergdahl. "No family in the United States
understands the detainee issue like ours," Robert Bergdahl said in a 2011 plea to his son's
captors. So it wasn't entirely unusual when Bergdahl apparently published a tweet last week
about Guantanamo's detainees. Except this tweet was directed at a Taliban spokesman. And
it came just four days before it was announced that his son was finally being released.
U.S.
concluded in 2010 that Bergdahl walked away. A Pentagon investigation concluded in
2010 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of
searching the military decided not to exert extraordinary efforts to rescue him, according to a
former senior defense official who was involved in the matter.
Bergdahl
Facebook Page Blows Up: 'Our orders were to kill on contact'. A Facebook page,
apparently written by soldiers who served with Bowe Bergdahl and called "Bowe Bergdahl is a
Traitor," has sprung up. On the page, soldiers are writing anonymously of their experiences working
alongside Bergdahl in Afghanistan. The soldiers are writing anonymously because some remain on
active duty, and some also claim that the Pentagon has had them sign nondisclosure statements since
Bergdahl went missing in 2009. One of the posts says that during the search for Bergdahl,
soldiers had orders not to re-capture him at all.
POW's
father learned Pashto, grew a beard and adopted liberal views after son's capture.
From the moment the father of Bowe Bergdahl took the stage with President Barack Obama, it was
clear the Bergdahls were not an average US military family. Sporting a long, bushy beard that he
refused to trim since his son went missing in 2009, Bob Bergdahl spoke Pashto, Afghanistan's main
language, and also a few words of Arabic at the White House press conference announcing his son's
release. Some critics of the deal to free the only remaining American prisoner of war have
shifted their attention to Mr Bergdahl and his controversial statements. Just a few days before
his son was released in a trade for five Guantanamo detainees, Mr Bergdalh tweeted at a Taliban
spokesman saying, 'I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners.'
Admin
of Anti-Bergdahl Facebook Group Revealed as Former Squad Leader. The man behind the
Facebook group "Bowe Bergdahl is NOT a Hero!" isn't, as most would initially believe, some
conservative crank mad at the Obama administration for swapping five Taliban prisoners in exchange
for the American prisoner of war. According to Jake Tapper, Greg Leatherman, the creator of the
group, was actually one of Bergdahl's squad leaders before he disappeared and allegedly abandoned
his post.
The Editor says...
It isn't necessary to be a "crank" to be a conservative or to criticize the most destructive president in American history.
Pentagon
knew Bergdahl's whereabouts but didn't risk rescue for 'deserter'. The Pentagon on
several occasions had ground-level intelligence on where ArmySgt. Bowe Bergdahl was being held
captive at various times — down to how many gunmen were guarding him — but
special operations commanders repeatedly shelved rescue missions because they didn't want to risk
casualties for a man they believed to be a "deserter," sources familiar with the mission plans said.
The 6 U.S. Soldiers Who
Died Searching For Bowe Bergdahl. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was freed by the
Taliban over the weekend after they held him for nearly five years, in exchange for five Taliban
leaders, who will spend a year cooling their heels in Qatar. You might have heard about it on the
news. Chances are you haven't heard of the six soldiers who died hunting for him after he went
missing, according to military officials. Now that Bergdahl has been sprung — in
exchange for five senior Taliban officials, who had been imprisoned at Guantanamo —
soldiers who served with Bergdahl are grumbling that he deserted and shouldn't be hailed as a hero,
especially given the resulting cost in American lives.
The Confusing
Case of Bowe Bergdahl. I am very confused by the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap deal
just brokered by the White House. Let me see if I can get this straight with what I know: We send
soldiers into battle (my oldest son served in the Army for five years and was deployed in Iraq for
more than a year) to risk and give their lives to hunt terrorists, and we proclaim that is
justified and it is our duty as a country. And then we free five known combatants or terrorists,
who we would have soldiers risk their lives to capture or kill, in order to save the life of one
soldier, and we say that is our duty as a country. Does this seem confusing or a conflict to any
of you out there? My mind spins from the contortions that one has to go through to justify both of
these positions simultaneously.
Carney
in 2013: No Bergdahl Decision Will Happen 'Without Consulting Congress'. "With
regard to the transfer of Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, we have made — the
United States has not made the decision to do that, though we do expect the Taliban to raise this
issue in our discussion, if and when those discussions happen," Carney said. "As we have long said,
however, we would not make any decisions about transfer of any detainees without consulting with
Congress and without doing so in accordance with U.S. law." Carney made the remarks at the press
briefing on June 21, 2013. Less than a year later, Congress was not informed as the Obama
administration agreed to release five Taliban leaders in exchange for Bergdahl.
Bowe
Bergdahl, bad bargain. It's only prudent to withhold judgment of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
until he gets home to tell his side of the story. Until then, we have the verdict of soldiers who
served with him. Some of them regard him as a deserter. Withholding judgment would have been good
advice for Susan Rice, the president's national security adviser, who insists that the sergeant
"served the United States with honor and distinction," that he "wasn't simply a hostage, he was an
American prisoner of war captured on the battlefield." She might be right, of course. President
Obama may give him a medal. (We hope it isn't the Medal of Honor.) The wrecking crew at the White
House has its own definition of "honor" and "distinction," and it differs from how some of the
soldiers who served with Sgt. Bergdahl in Afghanistan define the ultimate qualities expected of a
soldier. But we'll see.
In
other news, former US Marine still held in Mexico. The release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
in exchange for 5 top Taliban terrorists held at Gitmo has led to some mixed and hostile reaction.
Meanwhile, across the Mexican border near my home town of San Diego, another American sergeant is
languishing as a prisoner. The border crossing is undergoing construction, and the warning signs
that indicate you are entering Mexico are not terribly visible. So when former active-duty U.S.
Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi wanted to head back home with several guns in his vehicle, he
actually began a now two-month journey into the Twilight Zone of Mexican justice.
'He
willingly deserted': Freed POW's former platoon-mates call for him to face court-martial. Two
former comrades of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have confirmed to MailOnline that their former platoon-mate walked
away from his post in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009[,] with the intention of reneging on his military oath.
'I'm positive that he's a deserter, and that it was all premeditated,' said Gerald Sutton, a 31-year-old Michigan
college student who left the military in September 2012 and said he was 'a good friend' of Bergdahl when they were
deployed to the Middle East.
Honor,
Distinction and Truth in the Time of Obama. The question has been asked many times:
why was Susan Rice selected to appear on the talk shows to discuss the Benghazi attack? At the
time, Rice was our ambassador to the U.N. There was no connection between her job and Benghazi.
Now I think I know why Rice was selected. She is willing to say anything on television. Consider
her appearance on ABC News to discuss the trade in which we released five senior Taliban commanders
in exchange for American POW Bowe Bergdahl. Rice stated, among other things, that Bergdahl "served
the United States with honor and distinction" and that he "wasn't simply a hostage; he was an
American prisoner of war captured on the battlefield." Both statements are very probably untrue.
There is substantial evidence that Bergdahl deserted the Army, or at least went AWOL.
White
House Refuses to Classify the Taliban as a Terrorist Group, Defends Prisoner Swap. As
Guy [Benson] has extensively detailed, over the weekend the Obama administration in partnership
with the Defense Department, announced a prison swap of the "Taliban 5" in exchange for POW and
alleged deserter Sgt. Bower Bergdahl. Speaking at the White House Monday, Press Secretary Jay
Carney refused to classify the Taliban as a terrorist organization when asked about the details of
the exchange.
Sources:
Intelligence community investigated Bergdahl's conduct. A senior official confirms to
Fox News that the conduct of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — both in his final stretch of active
duty in Afghanistan and then, too, during his time when he lived among the Taliban — has
been thoroughly investigated by the U.S. intelligence community and is the subject of "a major
classified file." In conveying as much, the Defense Department source confirmed to Fox News that
many within the intelligence community harbor serious outstanding concerns not only that Bergdahl
may have been a deserter but that he may have been an active collaborator with the enemy.
Law
Professor Jonathan Turley: 'I Don't Think There's Much Debate' That Obama Broke Law With Prisoner
Swap. George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Monday that he
doesn't believe there's much debate over whether the White House broke the law by releasing five
high-ranking Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay without congressional notification —
noting that not even the White House is seriously arguing that it is not violating federal law.
Turley spoke with CNN anchor Carol Costello on Monday about the weekend prisoner swap, which saw
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl released from Taliban custody in exchange for five top-ranking Taliban
officials held at Gitmo.
Bowe
Bergdahl: Another Sunday Show Fib from Susan Rice? The last time National Security
Adviser Susan Rice made a memorable appearance on the Sunday morning news shows it was on five
different networks in 2012 to spread the ridiculous and untrue fable that a YouTube video had been
the cause of four deaths in Benghazi, as opposed to terrorists the Obama administration and Hillary
Clinton should have been prepared for. This Sunday, Rice might have been caught in a brand new fib.
Bowe
Bergdahl: a darker story behind the release of America's last prisoner of war.
[Scroll down quickly.] US law states that the President must give members of Congress
30 days notice before transferring detainees out of the controversial prison base. Senator John
McCain, himself a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, also raised concerns over whether the tiny
state of Qatar could prevent the former prisoners from again threatening the US. "These are the
hardest of the hardcore, these are the highest of the high risk people," Mr McCain said. "It's
disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to re-enter the fight."
Top
Intel GOP: 6 Months Ago, Obama Admin Promised No Taliban Release Without Coming to
Congress. The senior Republican on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said
today that the Obama administration specifically told him the Taliban commanders released from
Guantanamo wouldn't be be used in a prisoner swap without consulting Congress. [...] Sen. Saxby
Chambliss (R-Ga.) stressed that the U.S. "has a long-standing policy of not negotiating with
terrorists," adding he's "deeply troubled the Obama administration not only broke this policy, but
also did so without the notification or consent of Congress, as required by law."
Calculating
Obama plays politics with American soldier's trade for terrorists. Just when you
thought President Obama could not possibly be more of an emasculated, impotent cuckold, he releases
five top-level al Qaeda terrorists from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for a sketchy U.S. soldier who
once said he was "ashamed to be American." The milquetoast president cut a deal with terrorists
early Saturday — just before heading to the links for a five-hour round of golf. When he
returned to the White House, he made a bombastic statement from the Rose Garden but never mentioned
he'd set free a handful of hard-core killers.
Did
the Obama White House Trade Five Terrorists for a Taliban Sympathizer? In 2010, The
Taliban claimed U.S. soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had converted to Islam and had taught them
bomb-making techniques. Bergdahl had also changed his name to Abdullah, the Taliban claimed, though
the mainstream media largely ignored the story, seeing it as comparable to the tale of Sgt. Brody
in the fictional Homeland television series on Showtime. The U.S. Department of Defense
(DOD) also dismissed the claims, insinuating that it was jihadist propaganda. But in the aftermath
of Sgt. Bergdahl's release yesterday, more information has come to light, raising further questions
as to whether the Taliban had in fact been telling the truth about Sgt. Bergdahl.
Bergdahl
Deal Could Be First Step to Emptying Gitmo. President Obama released five Taliban
leaders from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility on Saturday [5/31/2014] without consulting
Congress and without strict assurances that the militants won't somehow return to the fight.
Republicans on Capitol Hill worry that the swap of these Taliban leaders for American hostage Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl is a prelude to a bigger move — the emptying out of Guantanamo entirely.
Fellow soldiers call Bowe
Bergdahl a deserter, not a hero. The sense of pride expressed by officials of the
Obama administration at the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is not shared by many of those who
served with him, veterans and soldiers who call him a deserter whose "selfish act" ended up costing
the lives of better men. [...] [former Sgt. Matt] Vierkant said Bergdahl needs to not only
acknowledge his actions publicly but face a military trial for desertion under the Uniform Code of
Military Justice.
Mixed
reaction to Bergdahl's recovery by service members who consider him a deserter. Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's recovery after five years in captivity has rekindled anger among some of his
military peers over how he came to fall into enemy hands and the price the United States has paid
to get him back. Bergdahl, 28, is believed to have slipped away from his platoon's small outpost
in Afghanistan's Paktika province on June 30, 2009, after growing disillusioned with the U.S.
military's war effort. He was captured shortly afterward by enemy forces and held captive in
Pakistan by insurgents affiliated with the Taliban. At the time, an entire U.S. military division
and thousands of Afghan soldiers and police officers devoted weeks to searching for him, and some
soldiers resented risking their lives for someone they considered a deserter.
Did
Bowe Bergdahl go AWOL in Afghanistan? [Scroll down] This scenario —
it's important to note that it has not been confirmed — is based on detailed reporting
in 2012 by Rolling Stone magazine, which included interviews with Bergdahl's fellow soldiers as
well as apparently lengthy conversations with his parents in Idaho, who shared e-mails they had
exchanged with him up until his disappearance. "The US army is the biggest joke the world has to
laugh at," he wrote from Afghanistan. "It is the army of liars, backstabbers, fools, and bullies.
The few good SGTs are getting out as soon as they can, and they are telling us privates to do the same."
Taliban
Leader Mullah Omar Calls Bowe Bergdahl Swap "Victory". After five detainees from
Guantanamo Bay were swapped for the only American soldier held captive in Afghanistan, the Taliban
leader Mullah Omar delivered a rare statement Sunday [6/1/2014] calling the trade a "great
victory." "We shall thank almighty for this great victory," said the statement. "The sacrifice of
our Mujahedin have resulted in the release of our senior leaders from the hand of the enemy."
Carney
Insists U.S. Did Not Negotiate with Terrorists: Bergdahl 'Was Not a Hostage'. On
Monday, outgoing White House Press Sec. Jay Carney joined CNN's Chris Cuomo to discuss the release
of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier who was released this weekend after being held for
five years by the Taliban. When asked if the United States had "negotiated with terrorists" for
Bergdahl's release by promising the reciprocal release of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Carney
said that was not the case. "He was not a hostage," Carney said of Bergdahl. "He was a prisoner."
Carney began by noting that securing Bergdahl's release had grown more urgent as his health had
begun to deteriorate. When asked if examinations on him since his release have substantiated U.S.
concerns about his health, Carney said that it was best to allow the former Taliban captive to
"recover privately."
Rep.
Rogers: Obama Ended Policy of 'We Don't Negotiate with Terrorists'. Rep. Mike Rogers
(R-MI), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, appeared on Fox & Friends on
Monday [6/2/2014] where he asserted that the White House did not follow the law when they
negotiated the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity in exchange for five
high-ranking Taliban prisoners. He said he intends to investigate the prisoner swap and criticized
President Barack Obama for ending the "chapter in American history where we don't negotiate with
terrorists." "I think the Obama administration negotiated with the Obama administration if they
had to follow the law of Congress, and the Obama administration decided that the Obama
administration did not have to call Congress," Rogers began.
The Face of Defeat.
[Scroll down] But there's a deeper reason why the law may not matter. The prisoners in
Guantanamo must inevitably be released because Obama has lost to the Taliban. That fact drives the
prisoner release, and informs the so-called negotiations with the victors. The way defeat works
is the winner gets to impose the terms. It's as simple as that. They even get to write the script
at the surrender ceremony. The Daily Caller noted that after Obama's announcement that Bowe
Bergdahl had been freed, "the soldier's father, Bob Bergdahl, recited the most frequent phrase in
the Koran — 'Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim' — which means "In the name of
Allah, most Gracious, most Compassionate": After Bergdahl finished his statement and his praise
for Allah, Obama hugged him.
Unlawful
Trade For Bergdahl Marks U.S. Surrender In The War On Terror. [T]he release of Army
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl raises critical policy questions, such as whether the U.S. should indulge
prisoner swaps that may create incentives to capture Americans. It creates security questions,
since the five Taliban leaders who were released to win Bergdahl's freedom may return to battle. It
also raises questions of justice, since there is apparent evidence that Sgt. Bergdahl deserted
before he was taken captive. Yet the most fundamental question it raises is a constitutional one:
how can we expect to endure as a nation if the President of the United States considers himself
above the law, and acts according to his personal whim?
'Bowe
Bergdahl deserted and these Americans lost their lives searching for him'. Bergdahl's
release, brokered with the Taliban in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees, has ignited fury in
some corners of the U.S. military community and re-opened old wounds. 'Bowe Bergdahl deserted
during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him,' former Sergeant
Matt Vierkant told CNN.
We
Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night.
After we redeployed, every member of my brigade combat team received an order that we were not
allowed to discuss what happened to Bergdahl for fear of endangering him. He is safe, and now it is
time to speak the truth. And that the truth is: Bergdahl was a deserter, and soldiers from his own
unit died trying to track him down.
McKeon:
Congress Will Hold Hearings on Bergdahl-for-Terrorists Swap. U.S. soldier Bowe
Bergdahl was freed from Taliban captivity in exchange for the release of five leading Taliban
members from Gitmo. Now, Republicans in Congress are calling the Obama administration's move illegal.
11
Things You Need to Know about Obama's Exchange of the 'Last American POW' for 5 Gitmo
Terrorists. Here are 11 stories that will give you a sense of the controversy and
questions swirling around this news: 1. President Obama Almost Certainly Broke the Law.
President Obama did not consult Congress when making the transfer of 5 Taliban commanders at Gitmo
for Bowe Bergdahl. The Washington Post raises questions about whether the president violated the
law regarding terrorism policy: [...] 2. The 5 Taliban Commanders Released Were Among the Most
Dangerous at Gitmo. Numerous publications note that these detained terrorists were among the worst
at the facility. [...] 3. Soldiers Who Served with Bergdahl are Making Claims He Was a Deserter.
CNN's Jake Tapper reports that soldiers who served with Bergdahl are calling him a "deserter," not a "hero": [...]
The
high cost of Obama's reckless Taliban swap. First, swapping Bergdahl for illegal
enemy combatants (terrorists, in common parlance) signaled unmistakably to Taliban and al Qaeda
that Obama is determined to withdraw from Afghanistan no matter what the cost to the United States
or those in Afghanistan fighting to remain free. Just days earlier, during his West Point
graduation speech, Obama had again stressed that, no matter what the facts are on the ground, US
forces will leave Afghanistan by the end of 2016. If the terrorists still had even the slightest
doubt that they needed only a minimal amount of patience to regain control in Kabul, Obama has done
everything in his power to eliminate that. He is surrendering in Afghanistan. Second, it is
despicable for an American president to equate a US service member with terrorist criminals such as
those at Gitmo.
Bowe
Berghdal Wrote Before Capture: 'I Am Ashamed to Be an American'. U.S. Army Sgt.
Bowe Bergdahl, recently released from years of Taliban captivity following the negotiation of a
deal to swap him for the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees, allegedly deserted his fellow
soldiers just prior to being captured by Taliban fighters. Several of Bergdahl's fellow soldiers
called him a "deserter," and some even blame him for the deaths of the soldiers who attempted to
mount a rescue mission. New evidence is now emerging that calls into question whether Bergdahl
was a true prisoner of war. A report in The New York Post chronicles how Bergdahl sought to
join the French Foreign Legion before joining the U.S. Army, the murky details of his 2009 capture,
and how he seemed particularly mistrustful of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
Bergdahl:
They Don't Care About the Law, Get Over It. It just so happens that the Obama
administration seems to have broken a law by releasing five high-value Islamic terrorists in
exchange for Bergdahl. Under the law, Congress was required to be notified before the release of
any Gitmo detainees. Law? What law? By now, six years into this drama straight out of James
Madison's worst nightmares, you should be used to Obama administration lawlessness. The law is a
suggestion to this crowd, and usually a nuisance; something to be twisted and reinterpreted. When
it stands in the way of progressive policies, it is something to be ignored. The singular theme of
the Obama age is lawlessness.
How
Not to Handle a Prisoner Swap. [It is] possible that President Obama did the right
thing by freeing five senior Taliban leaders in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held
by the Taliban since 2009. Certainly Obama as commander in chief had the power to do so even if
some members of Congress are miffed at not being consulted. What I find offensive is that the
president and his team are not treating this as a grubby and inglorious compromise — an
attempt to reconcile our competing ideals of "don't deal with terrorists" and "leave no man
behind." Instead the administration seems to be taking a victory lap. The president held a White
House event with Bergdahl's parents. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel flew to Afghanistan to
commemorate the occasion. National Security Adviser Susan Rice called it "a great day for America."
Rice:
Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction". Did the White House send Susan Rice out
on another Sunday talk show fool's errand? Just as with the Benghazi attack, Barack Obama's
national-security adviser went out on a Sunday to discuss a burgeoning controversy, and perhaps
without a full set of the facts in front of her. When questioned by George Stephanopoulos on ABC's
This Week, Rice tried to parry the question about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's initial disappearance, which
some of his fellow soldiers believed to be an act of desertion that cost more American lives. Rice
insisted that Bergdahl had served with "honor and distinction," a claim that will be tested in the
coming days and weeks.
Taliban
PoW was captive for so long he even forgot how to speak English. Bowe Bergdahl was
captive for so long and held under such harsh conditions that he may have even forgotten how to
speak English. His parents hinted that the Taliban prisoner of war may have to relearn his native
language during the press conference that announced he had been freed after five years.
Former
Officer: Soldiers Were 'Threatened' If They Questioned Bergdahl Story. A former U.S.
officer who served in Afghanistan with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl claims that soldiers were threatened by
U.S. authorities if they questioned his story. After he was captured, Bergdahl said on a video
from his captors that he lagged behind on patrol, although other sources in the military suggested
anonymously that he walked away from his post.
Here's
what happens when Taliban leaders are released. If anyone doubts that the five senior
Taliban leaders President Obama released this weekend will return to the fight and kill more
Americans, they need only look at what happened when the George W. Bush administration released a
Taliban leader named Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir (a.k.a. Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul) in 2007.
Outraged
parents of officer who died hunting for 'deserter' POW Bergdahl lash out at Obama.
The furious parents of an officer who they claim was killed while searching for freed Taliban
prisoner Bowe Bergdahl today said that they have been lied to as part of a 'cover up just like
Benghazi'. The mother and father of Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews are angry that they have
been told different stories about how their son died. First his commanders said that their son
was blown up while hunting a Taliban commander — but only now that Bergdahl has been freed after
five years in captivity are they learning the truth.
AWOL
Traitor Traded for Taliban Terrorists? The AWOL soldier's father spoke in Arabic to
his son: [...] "In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful," Bob Bergdahl said in
Arabic. "I'm your father, Bowe," he added in English after speaking the same words in Pashto from
the president's podium in the Rose Garden of the White House. Unbelievable. And who was released?
Taliban leadership.
Obama Just Declared Open Season for Kidnapping Americans.
Despite the luxurious living arrangements and the obsequious treatment they receive, Gitmo houses
the worst of the worst Islamic terrorists, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Any
reasonable administration would execute everyone there immediately after they were determined not
to be intelligence assets. But our government won't even subject them to interrogation that
bleeding heart liberals deem harsh. The terrorists fatten up on gourmet halal meals. To keep their
weight under control, they work out on exercise equipment that per their demands is manufactured in
a Muslim country, lest they dirty themselves playing with toys made by infidels. Yes, I'm
serious.
Five
of the Most Dangerous Taliban Commanders in U.S. Custody [were] Exchanged for [one] American Captive. The
Obama administration announced today [5/31/2014] that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held by the Taliban for several years,
has been freed from his captors. Reading the stories of his newfound freedom it is impossible not to feel joy for
Bergdahl and his family. NBC News reports that Bergdahl held up a sign once he was on board an American helicopter
that read, "SF?" The operators quickly confirmed that they were in fact U.S. Special Forces: "Yes,
we've been looking for you for a long time."
Outcry
on Hill Over Swap to Free Bergdahl as Case Reveals Lacking POW Strategy. As the years
of Bowe Bergdahl's captivity wore on, two fundamental sentiments floated around Capitol Hill: the
desire to bring the Army sergeant home without capitulating to the Taliban, and the frustration
that the capture of one soldier revealed a lack of cohesive strategy to recover prisoners of war.
Obama's
Deal With the Taliban Directly Violates the Law. Flashback to Barack Obama as a
candidate in 2008: "Congress' job is to pass legislation," Obama explained. "The president can
veto it or he can sign it. But what George Bush has been trying to do as part of his effort to
accumulate more power in the presidency. ... He's been saying, well I can basically change what
Congress passed by attaching a letter saying 'I don't agree with this part or I don't agree with
that part, I'm going to choose to interpret it this way or that way.'" "That's not part of his
power, but this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he goes along,"
he went on to say. "I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for 10 years.
I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We're not
going to use signing statements as a way of doing an end-run around Congress." You just did.
GOP
lawmakers: Prisoner exchange violated law. Two Republican lawmakers on Saturday accused President
Barack Obama of breaking the law by approving the release of five Afghan detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in
exchange for a U.S. soldier believed held by Islamist insurgents for five years.
White
House Pressures Hagel to Speed Up Release of Terrorist Detainees. U.S. National
Security Adviser Susan Rice is pressuring Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to "step up his pace" in
releasing what the White House calls "low level" detainees at the U.S. Naval facility that houses
suspected terrorist detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The New York Times reports that
Rice herself is under pressure from senior White House officials who want her to speed up the
release of terrorist detainees.
Freed
prisoners were battle-hardened Taliban commanders. They were among the Taliban's most
influential commanders — five men whom the United States succeeded in removing from the
battlefield. But on Saturday, they were released from the military prison in Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, in exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — a deeply controversial decision that
raised concerns in Kabul and Washington even as Bergdahl's homecoming was celebrated. One of the
freed men was the head of the Taliban's army.
John
McCain questions swap of "highest high-risk people" for Bergdahl. Current and former
U.S. officials welcomed the return of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only American soldier held prisoner
in Afghanistan, but voiced concern about the release of five members of the Taliban who had been
held at the Guantanamo Bay as part of a negotiated prisoner swap. "These are the hardest of the
hard core. These are the highest high-risk people, and others that we have released have gone back
into the fight," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in an interview on "Face the Nation," adding that
he was disturbed the Taliban named the prisoners they wanted in exchange for Bergdahl's freedom.
House
Intel Chair Mike Rogers: Obama 'Violated the Law' with Bergdahl Deal. On Sunday's
"State of the Union" on CNN, House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI)
explained to moderator Candy Crowley why the Obama administration's deal to secure American
prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl's release for five Guantanamo detainees was a bad deal and broke law.
According to Rogers, this sends the wrong message to terrorists around the world.
'Open
Season' on Americans Now That Obama Negotiates with Terrorists. On May 31, a scandal-ridden Barack Obama
announced the Taliban had released Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl after five years of captivity. His release follows
negotiations in which the Obama administration agreed to trade five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl.
Terror
suspects freed by Obama admin. were labeled 'high risk' in 2008: report. All five
terror suspects the Obama administration exchanged for the release of Sgt. Bowe Berghdahl on
Saturday were deemed in a 2008 Pentagon dossier to be 'high risk' for launching attacks on
American interests if released. [...] "They are undoubtedly among the most dangerous Taliban
commanders held at Guantanamo," said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior editor at the non-profit Long War
Journal. All five were major Taliban officials.
Obama
Replenishes the Taliban. President Obama finally completed the prisoner swap he has
been pleading with the Taliban for years to accept. While the president draws down American forces
in Afghanistan and hamstrings our remaining troops with unconscionable combat rules of engagement
that make both offensive operations and self-defense extremely difficult, the Taliban get back five
of their most experienced, most virulently anti-American commanders. In return, thanks to the
president's negotiations with the terrorists, we receive U.S. Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl — who,
according to several of his fellow soldiers, walked off his post in 2009 before being captured by the Taliban.
Obama:
Must close Gitmo before I leave office. President Obama said Thursday [5/29/2014] he's still
determined to close the prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before the end of
his presidency. Asked if he'll be forced to turn over the problem to his successor, Mr. Obama
told NPR, "Not if I can help it." "I'm going to keep on pushing because I want to make sure that
when I turn the keys over to the next president, that they have the ability, that he or she has the
capacity to make some decisions with a relatively clean slate," Mr. Obama said.
