WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives formally condemned President Barack Obama over the controversial prisoner swap of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl earlier this summer.
The President swapped Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners who were at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He did so without giving Congress 30 days notice.
The House passed the resolution--249-163--stating the President broke the law when he did not notify Congress of the prisoner swap. 22 Democrats joined House Republicans in voting to condemn the president.
In the resolution--which is mostly symbolic, and non-binding--it said that Obama violated the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act that required congressional notification.
The administration's decision to do the prisoner swap back in May sparked immediate backlash from Republicans, who said the Taliban commanders would eventually return to the battlefield. They also said it set a bad precedent when Obama negotiated with terrorists.
For its part, the administration has said it acted lawfully, as the White House used its Article II authority to act in the interest of national security, even without the 30 day notice as stated in the statute.
