MSNBC’s Chris Matthews unloaded Wednesday night on the “nasty deal” made by the Obama administration in which five Taliban prisoners were released from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for suspected deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
The liberal host said during his closing monologue that contrary to what the White House is trying to sell to the public, “the trade of prisoners was not the stuff of celebration.”
“It was a nasty deal, one driven by our enemies. If we wanted our guy out alive, we had to release five of their killers. Not all combatants in war are the same. Not all fight by the same rules nor do they fight for the same causes, obviously,” he said, Washington Free Beacon reported.
“To say this trade is messy is an understatement, which sadly does not mean it wasn’t the only deal there was,” Mr. Matthews said. “To get Sgt. Bergdahl released, we had to do something disreputable. It’s up to the partisan critics now, however, to say how they would have gotten this soldier home under less disgusting terms.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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