It has been a virtual mantra of U.S. policy for decades that we do not negotiate with terrorists and never never pay ransoms. That is why a new report is so startling even though it has received relatively little attention. The Pentagon reportedly gave an unspecified but large amount of money to an Afghan for the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and then found out the money and the Afghan disappeared without a trace. The Pentagon is denying that it tried to pay a ransom for Bergdahl.
Bergdahl was released in May through a prisoner swap by President Obama that violated U.S. law. The Administration did not reveal that it also paid this money to the fake negotiator. Worse yet, congressional sources say that the Administration denied that a payment was ever made for Bergdahl.
We have previously discussed the fact that our allies have given millions to Islamic State for hostages — a bizarre trade where the West is directly funding the terrorist group and reinforcing the market for taking more Western captives.
The money was reportedly handed over by the Army’s elite Delta Force anti-terrorism squad with the cooperation of the FBI. The Pentagon is now claiming that the money was not technically a ransom but money going to an intelligence source.
The story undermines our public claims on not paying ransoms and shows how fluid this line has become. There is also no indication of any repercussions for officials in giving such money to an Afghan who then just walked away with a fortune and a chuckle.
By the way 550 metric tons of yellowcake uranium was removed from Iraq in 2008, kinda blows the no WMDs theory out the window doesn’t it. So Bush didn’t lie
Paul – why let pesky things like facts get in the way?
Didn’t you know the US was responsible for the actions of the Portuguese, the Spanish, and the British? We are also probably responsible for the history of human sacrifice, slavery, sex slavery, and the conquering of other tribes that went on in native cultures.
For some reason, we are judged anachronistically by today’s standards, while no other culture seems to be held to the same standard.
We were born of colonialism, and yet we are unique in that we created a country of self determination.
Karen – you are aware that everyone, except liberals and progressives, have evil intent?
And I am absolutely not ashamed of our country. I am only ashamed of our politicians.
We are the greatest country in the world, the only place where entrepreneurs have the best chance of making it from scratch, without the barriers of a caste system, aristocracy. We do have people tirelessly working to dismantle this system.
For example, one of Saul Alinsky’s basic tenets is to overburden a capitalist economy (such as with Welfare, taxes, and spending) until it collapsed, where it would need to be replaced with a socialist economy. But gradually.
And here we are, ruining the health care system, making it totally unaffordable, until people start calling for socialist single payer, regardless of the debacle of the VA, government waste, and the history of government overpaying and under delivering.
Issac You dems all boast about the booming economy but never mention the fact that the debt went from 9 trillion to 18 trillion dollars in the six years of the Obama administration. An idiot could improve the economy with that much money
We had this discussion, about subsidizing, and encouraging, terrorism by ransoming hostages. We and our allies have made it Big Business to sell hostages, to the tune of millions a year. Why WOULDN’T they kidnap and ransom (or behead) more hostages? There haven’t been any negative consequences, and they raked in big bucks.
So, apparently, our deal for Bergdhal was even worse than The Most Transparent Administration Ever revealed: we traded 5 Homicidal Maniac Top Terrorists AND we paid a boatload of cash?
The unique situation with Bergdhal was that Special Forces had several opportunities to rescue him, but (rightly, in my opinion), was unwilling to do so because it would risk brave soldiers’ lives for a deserter. However, if we were going to ransom him, I wanted that money to be counterfeit, printed on paper that would rapidly degrade, have a dye bomb, or come with a tracking device used by the targeting system of the next drone strike.
I am so tired of the lies, total lack of accountability, and lack of transparency of this administration. I believe you have to keep politicians honest, and we have done a terrible job of holding this administration accountable.
This behavior is our fault because we allow it to continue.
Yes, we put a new party in power in the Senate, but it should have been more sweeping to really send a message. And there are still many people who believe Hillary Clinton is a moderate. Hillary, who wrote her thesis on how to improve on Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals through applying his principles in government. Who has a long, well-documented history of lying. I am tired of the lying by our politicians. The #1 quality of our next President needs to be Honesty. And I don’t care if he or she needs to walk around with a lie detector going all the time to prove it.
And speaking of terrorists, may I say that I would be absolutely thrilled if the next guy in Seal Team 6’s (or similar elite group) sights was that cowardly man in black who keeps beheading innocent people? And hopefully Biden will be able to contain himself from squealing next time.
I am surprised that anyone is only just now to the point where they are ashamed of their country.
Our history is littered with murder, oppression, and injustice. That anyone can take pride in this country without acknowledging the evil this country continues to carry out, scares me.
It is our duty to point out all of the injustice our nation does. I find it almost funny that people ignore the entire history of the US and only now find a reason to be embarrassed by the Nation and the President. You guys weren’t outraged by the last guy, but the current guy is the ‘real’ problem. Ha.
Unless you have been in a coma or living in a cave, you might want to check out all of the other bad things this nation does and has done and notice that most of them happened long before this President came into office. I suggest going back 400 or so years. It is all downhill from there.
Just stop pretending that it is the actions of this President that crossed the line. The line was crossed the very same day our founders signed the Constitution then went home to their plantations to reap the benefits of their slaves’ labor.
This nation has never been the thing its Constitution demands it be. We should all be mad about where this nation is and accept that we have allowed it by electing liars and cheats. You can make it about conservative and liberals if you want, but you would be completely wrong. Our leaders are as corrupt as we allow them to be.
Stop blaming the President for your personal failure to ever hold any of our leaders accountable for their actions.
Daniel – just to be historically accurate, we have not been a country for 400 years.
@issac . . . lmao!
Why should anyone need to include condemnation for the previous administration to validate the same analysis of the current one? Are we supposed to measure the performance of government by precedent and not the constitution? The “yeah but” argument is absolutely juvenile and not worthy of serious debate.
LOL!!
“Obams should be put on currency”
The peso, maybe?
Isaac, Is Tom Brady a fullback?
jettexas
How ashamed are you of the eight years of the three stooges, tanked economy, hundreds of thousands of innocent lives lost, shame throughout the world, lead by a straw man and two arrogantly incompetent string pullers? How ashamed are you that half the population can be swayed by six years of lies and hostage taking by republicans? Not so much?
Obams should be put on currency compared to the alternatives.
For the fist time in my life, I’m am absolutely ashamed of my country and my President. Ashamed of my country for RE-ELECTING a left wing nut bag hack for a President and for the acts this President commits against this country!
Why are we not surprised? We give millions to poppy growers who still grow poppy so what is the problem with getting ripped off by a con man for a couple million more?
Another example of Obama transparency.
Boy do they lie alot.
(All governments lie, but this one seems particularly sanctimonious and cynical.)
It’s all sausage making and it all stinks. However, the Democratic stink is but a puff, a little gas, on a breezy day compared to the noxious clouds that emanated and continue to emanate from the Republicans. Six years of breathing in that soup of lies seems to have done its job.
Not sure of all the situation specifics (we may not know for years…or ever) and this certainly does not present a pretty picture. That said, paying fake people funds is well within previous US norms. We (Bush Jr) have paid warlord terrorists bounties for turning in their neighbor, competitor, etc…….. in Afghanistan, Reagan paid off Iranian hostage takers, Bush paid off Sunni’s in Iraq to mostly end hostilities in Iraq (it certainly wasn’t the 7th surge), Bremer had billions of dollars lost/misplaced on pallets on an Iraq airport tarmac, etc……..
btw – for all you taxpayers, that was also OUR money!
Prior wrongs do not excuse a current wrong. But suspect proper context may not be evident on this board.
Another Senate inquire for:
Obama, Chuck Hagel, General Dempsey and Secretary of State John Kerry.
Hope the families of beheaded Americans by ISIS don’t see this.
For all you taxpayers, that was OUR money!
Bergdahl is one of many examples of the incompetence and lawlessness of this administration. Withholding the investigation of Bergdahl’s desertion is just another example.