A day after Taliban officials handed him over to a group of American Special Forces, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is now receiving a medical evaluation in Germany.
That's according to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who spoke to reporters during a pre-scheduled trip to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.
Hagel also defended the swift nature of the deal the U.S. struck with Bergdahl's Taliban captors. As we reported, the U.S. agreed to release five Guantánamo Taliban prisoners in exchange for Bergdahl, who had been held captive for almost five years.
The operation was not disclosed to Congress, Hagel told reporters, because U.S. officials believed Bergdahl's life was in danger, so they had to act quick to get him out of Afghanistan.
"It was our judgment that if we could find an opening, and move very quickly with that opening, that we needed to get him out of there, essentially to save his life," Hagel said, according to the AP.
Meanwhile, two Republican lawmakers are claiming that President Obama broke a law that requires the president to give Congress 30 days notice before transferring any Guantánamo detainees.
In a joint statement, California Rep. Howard McKeon, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe also criticized the prisoner swap because they say it now creates an incentive for "our terrorist adversaries ... to capture Americans."
"Our joy at Sergeant Berghdal's release is tempered by the fact that President Obama chose to ignore the law, not to mention sound policy, to achieve it," the lawmakers said.
There will, no doubt, be many more developments in this story throughout the day. We'll keep this post updated with the latest.
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