Posted on 06/02/2014 3:09:09 AM PDT by MegaSilver
Top Republicans on the Senate and House armed services committees went so far as to accuse President Obama of having broken the law, which requires the administration to notify Congress before any transfers from Guantanamo are carried out.
Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahls release may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans. Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That incentive will put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at even greater risk, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. McKeon (R-Calif.) and the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, James M. Inhofe (Okla.), said in a joint statement.
Lawmakers were not notified of the Guantanamo detainees transfer until after it occurred.
The law requires the defense secretary to notify relevant congressional committees at least 30 days before making any transfers of prisoners, to explain the reason and to provide assurances that those released would not be in a position to reengage in activities that could threaten the United States or its interests
A senior administration official, agreeing to speak on the condition of anonymity to explain the timing of the congressional notification, acknowledged that the law was not followed. When he signed the law last year, Obama issued a signing statement contending that the notification requirement was an unconstitutional infringement on his powers as commander in chief and that he therefore could override it.
The president gave his signature to a law that he knew to be unconstitutional? That's a dereliction of duty. If it's true Obama should be censured.
And if it turns out that Bergdahl IS a deserter, and that Obama knew of this when his fellow soldiers were sent to die to find him and/or when he traded five terrorists for the man, then Obama should be censured, impeached, deposed and stripped of both his passport and his right to Secret Service.
For life.
I can’t wait to hear them cluck about this nonstop and then fail to do anything about it. ‘Cause, ya know, impeachment and Dem Congress and waste of time and such.
Should be Senate not Congress. Haven’t had even a sip of coffee yet.
I think Obama is trying to close Gitmo. This was a way to do it with cover. Very thin cover.
Reagan, Clinton and Bush did the same thing. "Signing statements."
I hope you realize that we absolutely must take the senate back from the rats
Of course we must; however, will the seats be filled with conservatives or Democrat lights? If they’re filled with RINOs then there’s no point.
I read...When all the combat troops are gone from Afghanistan, all the prisoners in Guantanamo have to be released.
So is that in 2015...just before elections or 2016...just after elections.
I wonder what would take place if the GITMO Commander and guards refused to release those extremely dangerous prisoners. IIRC, Lt. Calley was prosecuted for obeying illegal orders.
that strongly worded statement is gonna be a doozy....
BFD...
So Obama decided AGAIN not to enforce or acknowledge a law he didn’t like or agree with...
Add it to the list...
Also add another round of hand-wringing and harsh words from Congress (Senate or House makes no difference)...
I’m offended! A letter symbolizes white privilege since we* oppressed the slaves even more by not allowing them to learn to read or write.
*Your family’s slave owning status is irrelevant because racis!
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
If you read the last paragraph of that statement, signed December 26, 2013, Barry states that if implementation of any provision violates separation of powers principles, his administration would do so in a manner that avoids any such conflict.
But as usual that’s all just BS, and he winds up doing what he wants, like a spoiled brat, and again as usual, ‘thumbs his nose’ at comity and mutual respect between coequal branches of government.
Arrogance like his begs for impeachment and removal, if Congress had the stones, but they do not.
And now the new, shiny squeaky toy of Bergdahl diverts attention from VA, which diverted it from the release of 36,000 criminal illegals onto our streets, away from Benghazi, etc.
Since Obama is immune from scandal backlash, the regime’s thinking seems to be “why not create a new one every couple weeks.. just for fun?”
Not that I think Obama is a good man, let alone a good president, the principle you cited swings both ways. Congress is supposed to understand that the president has pardon power and is vested with "commander in chief" status with regard to the conduct of military activities. When Congress asserts itself in the sphere of presidential powers, if is congress thumbing its nose at separation of powers; and when congress complains that the president isn't respecting a congressional incursion into presidential powers, it is congress acting like a spoiled brat.
I think congress has every right to criticize the president, but in this case, "he broke our law" is disingenuous.
-- Arrogance like his begs for impeachment and removal, if Congress had the stones, but they do not. --
I think he deserves to be impeached and removed too. He flouts immigration law, and many others. His justice department is racist and selects prosecution on race-based rationale. He's incompetent. Agreed that Congress lacks the stones to act responsibly. All it wants to do is score political points with empty rhetoric.
Ok, so what's their point?
It's not like they are going to do anything about it.
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