House GOPer: White House Thinks You’re With Them Or ‘For Thermonuclear War’

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., right, accompanied by the committee's ranking member Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., inform reporters about proposed changes to the National Secu... House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., right, accompanied by the committee's ranking member Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., inform reporters about proposed changes to the National Security Agency’s program of sweeping up and storing vast amounts of data on Americans' phone calls, Tuesday, March 25, 2014, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Details of the government's secret phone records collection program were disclosed last year by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden. Privacy advocates were outraged to learn that the government was holding onto phone records of innocent Americans for up to five years. Obama promised to make changes to the program in an effort to win back public support. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday slammed the Obama administration’s decision to negotiate for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl without first consulting Congress.

Rogers argued that the White House had other options besides releasing five Guantanamo Bay detainees in exchange for the American prisoner of war, and that the administration acted without notifying Congress because they knew there would be dissenters.

“There are other options. And this was what so angered for those of us who have followed this for years,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” “The administration has this theory that you’re either with them or you’re for thermonuclear war and there’s not in between. That’s just wrong.”

“And so the reason they avoided Congress, this isn’t about we didn’t get invited to the party, so we shouldn’t have our feelings hurt. It is because we can empower all of the people — diplomats — who disagreed with this decision, intelligence folks who disagreed with this decision, military folks,” he continued.

Rogers said that the prisoner exchange will put Americans abroad at greater risk.

“This is a huge regional and geopolitical problem for the United States moving forward. Hostages are now currency in this war on terror. That’s always dangerous for both diplomats, aide workers, soldiers on the battlefield,” he said.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. So, TPM, you didn’t bother to note what those “other options” were? Or if Rogers didn’t offer them, you didn’t think that was an important detail to add?

  2. If you’d watched This Week you’d know the answer, and it is NO.

  3. Boy, he’s sounding more like a whiny babbling idiot every day. I don’t see this helping them in the '14 elections–so clearly the infants in the room.

  4. ‘And so the reason they avoided Congress, this isn’t about we didn’t get
    invited to the party, so we shouldn’t have our feelings hurt. It is
    because we can empower all of the people – diplomats – who disagreed
    with this decision, intelligence folks who disagreed with this decision,
    military folks,’ he continued.

    Translation: “We didn’t get a chance to be obstreperous and intractable and throw a monkey wrench into the exchange deal with manufactured controversy and fauxtrage.”

  5. I think that if you are not with the president then you are with the “Evil-Doers”.

    You want gravy on them Freedom Fries?

    Go fug yourself you GOTP asshole.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

55 more replies

Participants

Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for jw1 Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for sysprog Avatar for jloomis3 Avatar for eldonlazar Avatar for sojourner44 Avatar for tani Avatar for sylhines Avatar for Lacuna-Synecdoche Avatar for kenstarr Avatar for cbbruuno Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for midnight_rambler Avatar for richardnixonhuberthumphrey Avatar for bestdamnfiddler Avatar for andy49 Avatar for jimgroom Avatar for ralphb Avatar for twowolves Avatar for smokinthegotp Avatar for thomasmatthew Avatar for benthere Avatar for cincypix

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: