Congressman Jack Kingston Concerned by Prisoner Release

Press Release

Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) issued the following statement after the exchange of five terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl:

"The return of an American prisoner to our soil should be an occasion for celebration, but the cost of that return - ​the release of five known terrorist detainees - is troubling because of the precedents set for future presidents and captured Americans. I am concerned our commander-in-chief and top diplomats were negotiating with terrorists and ignoring Congressional intent that detainees at Guantanamo not be moved without notification. The President should instead work with Congress and within the law to combat terrorism and protect American soldiers, not go around the law and deal with dictators.

"The President should not sacrifice American security and captured enemy combatants over a misguided campaign promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. His ideological pursuit ignores the realities of Islamist terror and undermines the ability of our troops to defend the nation."

Sgt. Bergdahl went missing from his post in 2009 and had been held prisoner in Afghanistan for nearly five years. The five Taliban detainees were released Saturday and flown to Qatar, where they are to remain for a minimum of one year, as part of the negotiated deal.

Congressman Kingston is a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

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