Free Republic

Asked what President Obama knew about the spy swap, a senior administration official tonight said that "the president was kept fully informed of developments and approved the recommendations of his national security team on how the matter should be handled." On the PBS NewsHour this evening, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel elaborated, saying, "It was not the decision of the president. It was the decision, obviously, of the law enforcement community and the intelligence community." Did the president sign off on it? Jim Lehrer asked. "The president was briefed about it," Emanuel said.