Press Releases

​Washington, D.C. – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) released the following statement after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel testified before the House Armed Services Committee on the Administration’s recent decision to release five senior Taliban leaders from the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay:

“Even after this lengthy hearing, I remain concerned about the rationale behind the Administration’s decision to facilitate this release, as well as the deeply flawed process by which Congress was notified only after the release had been made – in clear violation of a law the President himself signed.

“As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee during the 112th Congress, I carried out a study which found a 27 percent recidivism rate for detainees released from Guantanamo Bay. Despite Secretary Hagel’s testimony, I remain unconvinced by the Administration’s assessment of the likelihood that these individuals will return to the battlefield and the degree to which they continue to pose a threat to our national security.

“Also of concern is the unknown quality of enforcement by the government of Qatar during the one-year supervision period. Transferring detainees to Qatar has proved unsuccessful in the past, and I fear that this instance will follow the same pattern. In my final question today, I asked simply, ‘What happens to these detainees after a year?’ The intelligence we have on these individuals, and the data on potential recidivism, indicate significant, and unjustifiable, risks.

“We cannot forget that we remain at war in Afghanistan, and that our servicemen and women are still at risk. If even one American death is linked to the release of these Taliban leaders, it will be a monumental, unprecedented policy failure, and the responsibility and accountability for that will fall directly and solely on the President’s shoulders.

“The Administration’s approach to this detainee release has lacked the due diligence necessary for making decisions that affect our national security, and I believe that it sets a dangerous precedent for the future. I will continue to work with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to conduct the oversight role that is our constitutional duty.”

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee where he is the Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.

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