Bowe Bergdahl swap: Republicans angry dozens of Obama officials knew

Administration kept Guantánamo prisoner exchange secret from Congress out of fear for soldier's safety, House members told

Paul Lewis and Dan Roberts in Washington

20:42 EDT Monday, 09 June 2014

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Members of Congress descend to a secure area at the Capitol to meet with national security officials. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

Almost 100 officials within Barack Obama's administration knew about the planned deal to swap sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for five Guantánamo Bay detainees, according to a classified congressional briefing.

Republican critics of Obama's decision to trade the soldier for the Taliban fighters seized on the figure on Monday, saying it revealed the administration's contempt for Congress, senior members of which should have been legally informed in advance.

In the latest attempt to quell the firestorm over the prisoner swap, the White House dispatched some of its most senior military, diplomatic and intelligence officials to the persuade members of the House of Representatives of the reasons behind the deal.

The debate over the agreement – which was brokered by Qatar, where the Guantanamo detainees will reside for a year – has raged in Washington ever since the 28-year-old soldier's release was announced last week.

The estimate that between 80 and 90 administration officials – mostly national security staff – knew about the prisoner swap in advance was provided in response to a question from Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann.

She said afterwards that it was wrong so many administration officials knew at the deal when no one in Congress was given advance notification, as required under the law.