McCain, Chambliss were briefed in January, (2012?) of the prisoner exchange plan.

Last edited Tue Jun 3, 2014, 08:57 AM - Edit history (2)

Kinda puts a hole in the 'Obama broke the law' balloon that GOPers are floating.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/americas-last-prisoner-of-war-20120607?page=7

(snip)

The tensions came to a boil in January, when administration officials went to Capitol Hill to brief a handful of senators on the possibility of a prisoner exchange. The meeting, which excluded staffers, took place in a new secure conference room in the Capitol visitor center. According to sources in the briefing, the discussion sparked a sharp exchange between Senators John McCain and John Kerry, both of whom were decorated for their service in Vietnam. McCain, who endured almost six years of captivity as a prisoner of war, threw a fit at the prospect of releasing five Taliban detainees.ip

(snip)

Despite the objections to the swap, U.S. officials involved in the negotiations this winter say they were on the verge of completing the deal to free Bowe. The White House had worked up talking points about Bowe, and was ready to go public about the exchange. (According to administration officials, the Pentagon insisted that the talking points note that Bowe had walked off base, to underscore that U.S. soldiers are not an easy target for kidnapping.) But at the last moment, the Taliban themselves balked at the deal, which stipulates that the detainees would not be allowed to leave the country of Qatar after their release. In March, faced with internal opposition over cutting a deal with the Americans, the Taliban abruptly suspended the peace talks. "Bowe Bergdahl has been a topic in any meeting we ever had with the Taliban," says a senior State Department official involved with the negotiations. "The Taliban suspended the talks on March 15th. We have not been in any contact with them since."

(end snip)

emphasis mine

A second link:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-worried-very-end-about-bergdahls-release

(snip)

President Barack Obama, in Europe for meetings with several nations' leaders and NATO officials, said Tuesday his administration had consulted with Congress about that possibility "for some time."

The prisoner swap idea had evolved in fits and starts since early 2011. The idea of an exchange was one of three confidence-building measures that were meant to open the door for the Afghan government to hold direct peace negotiations with the Taliban.

(end snip)