Scalise: ‘Unacceptable’ that Obama authorized Bergdahl swap without telling Congress

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Monday that a government watchdog report had verified his view that the Obama administration broke the law when it transferred five Guantánamo Bay detainees for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

A Government Accountability Office report released last week found that the Pentagon had ignored the requirement to give Congress at least 30 days advance notice before transferring any Guantánamo Bay detainees or spending money to conduct the transfers.

{mosads}The Pentagon spent about $988,400 on the transfer of Taliban detainees in exchange for Bergdahl, according to the GAO report.

Scalise argued the Bergdahl exchange amounted to executive overreach without the input of Congress.

“It is unacceptable that this administration yet again ignored the law of the land and acted on its own accord,” Scalise said.

“I have grave concerns regarding the foreign policy decision-making of this administration under President Obama, and I will continue to hold the administration accountable for these decisions,” Scalise added.

The White House has defended its decision to allow the exchange without notifying Congress.

“We strongly disagree with GAO’s conclusion, and we reject the implication that the administration acted unlawfully,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. “The president has the constitutional responsibility to protect the lives of Americans abroad, and specifically to protect U.S. service members.”