Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) says he was “shocked” Tuesday by a report that said Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl left behind a note before his disappearance saying he had become disillusioned about the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
Chambliss said he reviewed a copy of an initial Army investigation of Bergdahl when the administration first floated to Congress the potential swap of prisoners, which lawmakers say occurred in 2011.
The senator was named top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee that year.
{mosads}“I can tell you the article in The New York Times today shocked me,” Chambliss said Tuesday on Fox News’s “The Kelly File.” “This note that he supposedly left that indicated that he was sympathetic to the Taliban and unsympathetic to the American interest in this conflict was not included in that file. And I’m very surprised by that because normally those classified files are pretty informative.”
The New York Times report did not say Bergdahl was sympathetic to the Taliban, but that he became disillusioned with the Army and no longer supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
“But like I say, I was shocked today,” Chambliss said. “But what I do know is that the army doesn’t know really what happened and they haven’t apparently gotten detailed statements from his fellow platoon members who had been very vocal over the last couple of days. There was nothing in that file … regarding statements from any of those individuals as to what they saw that night.”
Bergdahl took a soft backpack, knives, water, a notebook and writing materials when he disappeared, the Times’ report said. He left behind his body armor and weapons.
Chambliss stood with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Tuesday and said the White House broke the law by not informing Congress about the swap at least 30 days in advance.
Feinstein later told reporters the White House apologized for not notifying lawmakers in time.
Chambliss is among many lawmakers worried the five Taliban members released from Guantanamo Bay could retaliate.
“They are more dangerous today than ever,” he said. “The longer they stayed in Guantanamo, the more radical they’ve become.”