--- title: Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban Prisoner Swap Under Fire | TIME description: Some lawmakers are questioning the negotiations that led to Bowe Bergdahl’s release and criticizing the White House for failing to notify Congress prior to the agreement. canonical: https://time.com/video/1QtQIZ7U/ og:title: Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban Prisoner Swap Under Fire og:description: Some lawmakers are questioning the negotiations that led to Bowe Bergdahl’s release and criticizing the White House for failing to notify Congress prior to the agreement. og:url: https://time.com/video/1QtQIZ7U/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1QtQIZ7U/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban Prisoner Swap Under Fire twitter:description: Some lawmakers are questioning the negotiations that led to Bowe Bergdahl’s release and criticizing the White House for failing to notify Congress prior to the agreement. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1QtQIZ7U/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban Prisoner Swap Under Fire > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban Prisoner Swap Under Fire [Watch (HLS stream): Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban Prisoner Swap Under Fire](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1QtQIZ7U.m3u8) (1:52)  _Published 2014-06-01. Some lawmakers are questioning the negotiations that led to Bowe Bergdahl’s release and criticizing the White House for failing to notify Congress prior to the agreement._ --- Jul 27, 2023 4:44 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Army Launches Bowe Bergdahl Probe](/video/Fww601Rd/) ### Army Launches Bowe Bergdahl Probe [Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's Parents Speak About His Return](/video/ijsCQhO4/) ### Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's Parents Speak About His Return [Bowe Robert Bergdahl: The Last Prisoner of War](/video/veK3f2wr/) ### Bowe Robert Bergdahl: The Last Prisoner of War --- ## Transcript The release of Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier held captive for five years by the Taliban, is raising some big questions from lawmakers who want to know how it all came about. After months of negotiations Bergdahl's release came with a price, swapping him for five Afghan prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Those prisoners were some of the Taliban's top leaders, classified as high risk terrorists who had posed direct threats to US security before capture. Now comes what CNN calls a political divide in congress. Some say all means should be taken to ensure every US soldier's safe return, but critics argue the US should never negotiate with terrorists because doing so risks emboldening them. Among that latter group is Republican Senator John McCain, who says while he pleased with Bergdahl's release, he's concerned about the exchange. He calls the prisoners hardened terrorists who have the blood of Americans and countless Afghans on their hands. And according to the Christian Science Monitor others questioned whether the prisoner exchange violated US law, pointing out that the President is required to notify congress 30 days before transferring prisoners from Guantanamo. White House risked that they could break this rule, break this law with little to no consequences and that's likely to be the effect. But White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice tells ABC the exchange was something that had to be done. What we had to do and what we did do consistent with the President's constitutional authority as Commander in Chief is prioritize the health of Sergent Bergdahl. Echoing that sentiment is defense secretary Chuck Hagel, the administration purposefully didn't inform congress before hand in order to protect Bergdahl's safety. And President Obama says Qatar, the mediator in the exchange and the nation holding the Afghan prisoners for another year, has assured the US the prisoners won't pose a threat. It's unknown how exactly Bergdahl was captured or why he wandered off his base in the first place. He currently appears to be in good health, but officials say he was likely tortured and had lost some weight during captivity. 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