Thursday, June 5, 2014

Representative Scott Rigell Responds to Prisoner Swap



Washington, D.C. – Representative Scott Rigell (VA-02) released the following statement regarding the President's unlawful release of five Taliban fighters:

"Just as the nation was beginning to grasp the magnitude of ineptness at the Veterans Administration, President Obama’s unlawful release of five Taliban fighters to secure the return of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has given Congress and the American people yet another reason to question his fitness to lead.

"While the release of an American was welcomed news, the President’s actions raise three serious concerns: 1) the President’s persistent refusal to subjugate his will to the law; 2) the ability of the released Taliban leaders to re-engage in the Taliban’s fanatical mission to find and kill Americans, and; 3) the circumstances leading to Sgt Bergdahl’s imprisonment by the Taliban.

"Though the nature of Sgt Bergdahl’s disappearance and capture merit a full investigation, the remaining two questions point to deep, systemic failures of the Obama Administration, of a further collapse of the values needed to govern properly, and of the core competency of the President himself. The law requiring that the President provide Congress with 30-days’ notice is unambiguous, and he broke it.

"If there is any hope for the remaining days of Obama’s presidency, he needs to draw from a far deeper well of wisdom. He needs to grasp the powerful truth that strict adherence to the Constitution is his sworn duty.

"The House Armed Services Committee, of which I am a member, will conduct a hearing on this next week, and we will fight to uphold our constitutional mandate to provide effective oversight."

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