Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says a Senate Armed Services Committee under his leadership would try to uncover more details about President Obama’s decision to exchange Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s for five Taliban prisoners.
“Oh yeah, we’re going to find out about that,” McCain told reporters on Thursday.
{mosads}“Absolutely. Absolutely. You can count on that one,” he added.
Bergdahl’s release became a flash point earlier this year, after the White House went around Congress to secure his release by swapping five Taliban detainees from Guantánamo Bay.
The trade for Bergdahl angered Capitol Hill Democrats and Republicans, as the administration kept the prisoner exchange secret until after it was completed, ignoring a law requiring 30 days advance notice to members of Congress before any detainee release from Guantánamo.
In August, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate why the president violated the law.
The House, a month later, passed a resolution condemning the White House for approving the trade.
McCain, who almost certainly will helm the Armed Services panel next year, has reportedly said he wants to create a new subcommittee with investigative responsibilities.
That new subpanel might ultimately be tasked with such an inquiry.
The Army has completed its investigation into Bergdahl’s disappearance and capture by the Taliban in 2009, but the service has yet to release its findings.