White House press secretary Jay Carney on Monday pushed back against the idea that the U.S. negotiated with terrorists to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held prisoner in Afghanistan for nearly five years.
When asked by CNN’s Chris Cuomo if the administration had "negotiated with terrorists" for Bergdahl’s release by promising the release of five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Carney said that was not the case.
"Why parse words and have the Secretary of Defense say we didn't negotiate with terrorists?" Cuomo pressed.
"The fact is he was held in an armed conflict," Carney responded. "We were engaged in an armed conflict with the Taliban, and we have a history in this country of making sure that our prisoners of war are returned to us. We don't leave them behind. He was not a hostage, he was a prisoner."