Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Highlights Grave Concerns About Release of Taliban Detainees

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SALUTE: U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, is an Army veteran
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SALUTE: U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, is an Army veteran
SALUTE: U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, is an Army veteran

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) today questioned Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in a hearing today at the House Armed Services Committee on the prisoner swap to recover Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. She released the following statement detailing her concerns about the risk the prisoner swap will pose to national security:

“The first warrior ethos that all servicemembers abide by is, ‘I will always place the mission first.’  Although as a Soldier and veteran I know firsthand the importance of leaving no man behind, I also know that the context of each situation must be considered carefully to ensure that we are not compromising the mission: keeping our country and our people safe.  The fact is: the five Taliban terrorists who were released are strategists and commanders, not foot soldiers, and as such, present a threat to the United States and our interests, wherever they are free to strategize with Taliban and other leaders, even while they remain in Qatar.

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“The recent statements by the administration that these terrorists do not pose a significant threat are preposterous. The President’s Guantanamo Review Task Force in 2010 determined that these five were ‘too dangerous to transfer.’ The task force concluded that each of these five individuals ‘poses a high level of threat that cannot be mitigated sufficiently except through continued detention.’ Not only are they no longer detained, they have been sent to a country where the Taliban operates openly and legally, with a headquarters based there.  Qatari officials have made it clear that they are free to move about, with no limitations on who they can meet with, further proving they are still a serious threat.

“Furthermore, this deal sets a dangerous precedent, and puts a target on the back of every American overseas, military and civilian.”

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard raised several concerns with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee today.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. I caught some of Hagel's testimony this morning. In one exchange with a Democratic Congressman, Hagel stated to the Congressman "I know of your service and thank you!" I thought really, you know a Congressman has served, but you didn't know several men died trying to find Bergdahl….C'mon!!!! When is someone going to call them to the carpet on the continuous lying, and if their not lying then on their gross incompetence. We knew during his confirmation, Hagel has no business being SECDEF, he's nothing more than a Obama yes man. The most dangerous thing our country faces is Obama and Hagel being in charge of our Military.

  2. wait a minute.first of all three of these "terrorists" were cia assets.and the other two were indeed commanders in the fighting forces of the Taliban which were fighting the local northern alliance and other corrupt warlords and were no threats to us forces until they invaded.congresswoman gabbard and others in the war party are just adding to the hysteria.who needs the facts when we have all this emotion!? the Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11.nothing that congresswoman gabbard has said about these 5 men are factual. and all 5 of these guys were initially captured while trying to cut deals and three had been attempting to join or had already joined the afghan government at the time of their arrest. and as I have mentioned, one of the detainees, mohammad nabi omari was actually working for the americans(cia) when he was arrested by Pakistani border police and shipped to gitmo. is congresswoman gabbard just one of many chorus girls dancing and showing her stuff for the war machine?well,yes. and there is no evidence of a direct link between bowie berghdahl and soldiers being killed because he deserted.

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