Bill Richardson: Prisoner Swap Broke 'Impractical' Law

Bill Richardson: Prisoner Swap Broke 'Impractical' Law

Former UN Ambassador Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) admitted that the Obama administration broke what he called an “impractical” law by not notifying Congress of the planned prisoner swap to arrange the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

Richardson was asked by “CNN Newsroom” host Carol Costello whether the president should have notified Congress in accordance with the law. Richardson didn’t deny that the president is required by law to notify Congress 30 days in advance, nor did he deny that the president failed to do so. Instead, he stated “What is he supposed to do? Give them 30 days?” He added “there were some notifications, but that pre-notification law of 30 days is impractical in a hostage negotiation.” In other words, Richardson believes it’s OK for the president to ignore the law if they believe a law is “impractical.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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