Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned President Barack Obama Wednesday that Republican lawmakers would call for his impeachment if he released prisoners from Guantanamo Bay again without notifying Congress.
“It’s going to be impossible for them to flow prisoners out of Gitmo now without a huge backlash,” Graham said, according to The Hill. “There will be people on our side calling for his impeachment if he did that.”
[sharequote align="center"]“There will be people on our side calling for his impeachment if [Obama] did that.”[/sharequote]
The comments come days after Obama approved a deal to release five prisoners from the detention camp, in exchange for the Taliban releasing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last remaining prisoner of the Afghanistan war.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) talks to reporters as he arrives at a closed door briefing June 4, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Officials from the Obama Administration were on the Hill to brief Senate members on the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
High ranking Republicans have since contended that the president may have violated the law, citing a legal requirement that requires him to notify Congress 30 days in advance before the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay.
The White House has, however, argued that they were grappling with "unique and exigent circumstances" and did not have time to comply with the legal requirement.
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