FOX News - Transcript: Guantanamo Bay Detainees Swap

Interview

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined FOX News' Dana Perino Tuesday evening to discuss new details that emerged from the SASC closed door hearing on the prisoner exchange that resulted in the White House releasing five senior Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay nearly two weeks ago. Most notedly, Inhofe shared his concern that the White House failed to consult or even notify in advance our military leaders on the ground, including Gen. Joseph Dunford, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

Host dana PERINO: "Senator, could you start off with telling us a little bit of, did you learn anything today that was new that we haven't heard already?"

SEN. JAMES INHOFE, RANKING MEMBER, SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: "All I learned today is how well orchestrated the White House is. They had everyone saying the same thing. No one disagreeing. And so there is very little new. There is one thing that's not classified that I will share. And I was in shock. Dana, it was against the law for them to do this without the 30-day notice. I think we all have covered that. We know that. But even General Dunford, who is the commanding general in Afghanistan, and General Austin, of the Central Command, they were not advised either that they were turning these people loose. Everyone who is on record now -- James Clapper, who is the intelligence director, he said he would not have turned them loose under no circumstances. They tried to turn this same group loose just a few months ago. And they all said no. Leon Panetta, he was secretary of defense at that time. He said, no, we can't do it.

And so, to answer your question, there wasn't anything new. And a lot of this stuff that they talked about should not be classified anyway."

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