John Kerry Won't Say Whether Bergdahl 'Served With Honor

On Sunday morning, CNN foreign affairs correspondent Elise Labott had some tough questions for secretary of state John Kerry about the recent exchange of five Guantanamo Bay detainees for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

He didn't have much in the way of straight answers for her.

“On a scale of one to ten, ten being the most confident,” Labott asked, “how confident are you that (the Qataris) will be able to keep a close eye on (the released detainees)?”

“They’re not the only ones keeping an eye on them,” the secretary replied.

“The U.S. is going to be monitoring them?” Labott pushed back.

“I’m telling you they aren’t the only ones keeping an eye on them,” Kerry said. “We have confidence in those requirements. If they’re violated, then we have ability to be able to do things.”

Labott pushed Kerry, asking whether the United States would go in and kill any of the released detainees if they act against American interests.

Kerry demurred.

Labott then noted the backlash against Bergdahl, and asked Kerry whether he though Bergdahl was being "swiftboated" or whether the solider had served honorably.

“There’s plenty of time for people to sort through what happened, what didn’t happen,” Kerry said. “I don’t know all the facts.”

“Sounds like you’re not sure he served with honor and distinction,” Labott pressed.

Kerry never did say that Bergdahl was a hero, merely asserting that “it would have been offensive and incomprehensible to consciously leave an American behind, no matter what.”

Featured image via YouTube

(H/T: Mediaite)

—

Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter