GI's swap puts others at risk, Arkansans in Congress say

WASHINGTON -- Releasing five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for an American soldier has put other Americans at risk, members of Arkansas' delegation who served in Iraq and Afghanistan said Tuesday.

On Saturday, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held for the Taliban for five years, was released in exchange for five Taliban leaders who were detained at Guantanamo Bay. Questions remain whether Bergdahl was attempting to desert when he was captured, and the U.S. Army said Tuesday it will investigate.

The swap has drawn anger and frustration from many members of the House and Senate who say the White House didn't consult them about the negotiations.

According to a March 14 report by the Congressional Research Service, 20 percent of the U.S. House and Senate has served or is currently serving in the military. All four Arkansas House members have military experience. Neither Arkansas senator does.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, served in the Army from 2005 to 2009, with tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was deployed in Afghanistan when Bergdahl was captured and called the swap a "grievous error."

"It increases the danger for every one of the 32,000 troops still serving in Afghanistan, it increases the danger to diplomats and aid workers there and all around the globe and for that matter any American," he said. "We are telling hostile terrorist groups and governments that we will now negotiate and release prisoners."

In a letter to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, Cotton questioned what the administration knew about Bergdahl's disappearance, saying Americans should know whether Bergdahl was trying to leave the Army and what he did while he was living with the Taliban.

"There's no doubt that the warrior ethos of leave no soldier behind applies to even deserters, the question is at what cost?" Cotton said. "I think the cost is much too high."

U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq in 2006, said that while it is a relief for Bergdahl's family that the soldier came home, he is puzzled why the president agreed to the exchange.

"We just set a precedent, where if you capture an American you can get five terrorists out of Gitmo [Guantanamo Bay]," the Little Rock Republican said. "You may have saved this one soldier but you have potentially put thousands of other soldiers at risk."

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican from Rogers, said Americans need to know whether Bergdahl was deserting when he was captured and also why the exchange took place so soon after the May 30 resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki amid allegation of veterans dying while waiting for VA medical treatment. Womack retired from the Army National Guard in 2009 as a colonel.

"It causes one to be very suspicious of the timing of this whole episode on the heels of a major shake-up in the Veterans Administration," Womack said. "Is this nothing more than an opportunity that the president took to get the public's attention away from the VA and demonstrate some kind of success in negotiations with our enemies? The whole thing just smells bad to me."

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro and a former U.S. Army bomb-disposal technician, said in a statement that he is troubled that the White House didn't speak with the House and Senate about the exchange as required by law.

"I hope the President will take the time and explain in detail why he chose to ignore the 30-day notification required by a law he himself signed for such a release of enemy combatants who pose a continued grave threat to Americans at home and abroad," he said.

In a statement, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said he too wants answers. Cotton is challenging Pryor for the U.S. Senate seat in November.

"I'm grateful Sgt. Bergdahl will be safely reunited with his family after nearly five years of captivity," the Democrat from Little Rock said. "Like many Arkansans, I have a number of unanswered questions surrounding his capture and release, and I expect concrete answers during briefings and hearings in the days ahead."

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who is recovering after undergoing heart surgery in April, was not available for comment.

A section on 06/04/2014

Upcoming Events