White House responds to Stockman: No ransom for Bergdahl

The Houston Chronicle's Texas On The Potomac blog ^ | June 5, 2014 | Brianna Gurciullo

[2ndDivisionVet]

The White House countered Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Clear Lake, in a statement Friday after the congressman had questioned whether President Barack Obama paid ransom for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release.

“The United States did not provide money in return for Sgt. Bergdahl,” National Security Staff spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.

Stockman, who has previously threatened to file articles of impeachment against Obama, sent a letter to the White House on Thursday asking if the administration offered money to the Haqqani network, the terrorist organization that held Bergdahl captive. The congressman claimed the Islamist insurgent group would use such ransom money to fund its terrorist operations.

“The Haqqani Network generally does not release Westerners unless they receive a large payment,” Stockman said in a statement released Thursday. ” It would be hard to believe they would release Bergdahl in an exchange that does not directly benefit them.”(continued)

[Peter ODonnell]

Does anyone else suspect that the missing Malaysian jet could be connected to this story? After a few more days of waiting, we might be getting news that hijackers have released it and whatever’s left of crew, pax and cargo?

Just sayin, never believed the cover story on the 777 being southbound to nowhere.

[octex]

The US didn’t pay a ransom.... directly....??
******************************
The reply to Stockman (R-TX) might have been technically correct. ....They probably paid the $$$ to the go-betweens in Qatar, who then passed it on to the Haqqanis.

I totally despise everyone in the Obama regime!

[GeronL]

me too

[VRWCarea51]

Close but Qutar paid the ransom, Syria paid qutar for the weapons we send them thru Benghazi.

Ambassador Stevens was not available to comment.

[Joe Boucher]

This effeminate jive ass punk is a proven LIAR.
Multiple times he’s done a Clinton on us and looked us in the eye and LIED.
If this Liar says the sun comes up in the east ya best check it cause obammy LIES.

[SkyPilot]

Trust me - there are all sorts of ways the Obama administration could have funneled the money to the Taliban, covered it in bureaucracy, and then slathered it with euphemisms so as to not call it a "ransom" before the press or Republican investigators.

They could have funneled the $5 million (or whatever amount) to Qatar or any other nation they chose, using almost any US government agency, and called it a PIK exchange (Payment in Kind).

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/416569p.pdf

"Payment-in-Kind. Compensation received from a host nation in the form of construction, repair, and base support projects instead of residual value cash payment."

They could have sent the money to a 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th party to cover the trail, and called it an Equal Value Exchange (EVE).

There are at least half a dozen other methods. It is very Obamaesque or Clintonesqe. If ever hauled before the Senate Intelligence Committee, all they have to testify is that "to my knowledge" no "ransom" was "ever paid."

Remember this: Obama and Hagel furloughed DoD teachers, nurses, and lowly maintenance workers for reasons of Sequestration (and unlike the Govt shutdown those people were never paid back their lost salaries) - but Obama and Hagel gave away Billions to the Muslim Brotherhood at exactly the same time.

[9YearLurker]

So Stockman asks if the WH offered money—and the WH responds by saying they didn’t pay out any money.

Not a denial that matches the question, if this report is accurate.

[Hotlanta Mike]

So where’s the 6 billion dollars that went missing from the State Department?

[morphing libertarian]

Same place the missing money from the Clinton Foundation is.

I’m sure Eric Holder is on it. Report due the day after the 2016 election. foundation

[aimhigh]

Sometimes I wonder if the money payment story is a fictional float put out by the White House, used to discredit Obama’s critics when it is proven false. Typical trick to discredit your opponents.

[windcliff]

My thoughts as well.

[9YearLurker]

Yep, could well be. “We may have freed terrorists, but we’re not for sale!”