State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf downplayed the risk that the five Guantanamo Bay detainees exchanged for Sergeant Bergdahl might pose should they return to the battlefield.
"Let’s say the worst case scenario, these five guys do return, in no way would that substantially change the Taliban’s order of battle on the ground, that’s just not even logical." Harf was explaining Secretary Kerry's recent statement that concerns over the five detainees are "baloney."
"Look," she said at a briefing Monday, "is there a chance they will return to the battlefield? As Secretary Kerry said, of course. But we believe we substantially mitigated the risk enough."