The Obama administration broke the law when it failed to inform Congress of plans to release five Guantánamo Bay detainees in its May 31 for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the Government Accountability Office concluded Thursday.
In a seven-page letter to senior congressional Republicans, the GAO said the Guantánamo portion of the prisoner swap violated two separate laws.
One law prohibits use of Defense Department funds 'to transfer any individuals detained at Guantánamo Bay unless the Secretary of Defense notifies certain congressional committees at least 30 days before the transfer.'
The other law that was violated, the Antideficiency Act, is a more general statute prohibiting the spending of funds beyond those available through appropriations.
The Pentagon spent a reported $988,400 on the transfer of the five Guantánamo detainees to Doha, Qatar. It did not provide a breakdown.
It was the first time that the Defense Department did not notify Congress 30 days in advance of the release. Instead, Pentagon officials started notifying congressional leaders on the day it was happening, by phone, and sent written notifice June 2.
Section 8111 of the 2014 Defense Department's appropriations act is 'clear and unambiguous,' the GAO said.
'Because DOD did not provide written notice to the relevant congressional committees until May 31, 2014, the same day as the transfer, DOD violated section 8111,' the GAO concluded.
The fatal shooting of a black 18-year-old by a white police officer has opened a debate over what level of force is appropriate when law enforcement confronts a citizen perceived to be a threat.
Police in Kentucky say two firefighters were seriously injured when the fire truck's ladder got too close to a power line as they helped college students take part in an ice bucket challenge.
The new superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy said he does not now believe there is 'a cultural issue' in Navy sports with the kind of lax oversight of athletes that is being investigated at the U.S. Air Force Academy, but if there is 'we're going to take care of it.'
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