Defense Department: No, We Didn’t Pay Money For Bergdahl’s Release

This undated image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The nearly five-year effort to free the only American soldier held captive in Afghanistan is scattered among numerous federal agencies with a loo... This undated image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The nearly five-year effort to free the only American soldier held captive in Afghanistan is scattered among numerous federal agencies with a loosely organized group of people working on it mostly part time, according to two members of Congress and military officials involved in the effort. An ever-shrinking U.S. military presence in Afghanistan has re-focused attention on efforts to bring home Bergdahl, who has been held by the Taliban since June 30, 2009. (AP Photo/U.S. Army) MORE LESS
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In no uncertain terms, the Defense Department on Monday disputed the allegations that the United States paid a ransom to secure the release of Sgt. Bow Bergdahl.

“There was no money exchanged for Bergdahl’s release,” Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby told Politico.

The prospect of the U.S. paying money to Bergdahl’s captors has become a huge source of conservative criticism in recent days. The Washington Free Beacon cited an unnamed “senior intelligence official” last week who “insisted that there is reason to believe that cash changed hands as part of the deal.”

Lt. Col. Oliver North has fueled this speculation, asserting last week that Bergdahl was a hostage of the Haqqani network.

North, a central figure in the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages scandal of the 1980s, estimated that the ransom was likely in the range of $5 million to 6 million.

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