In a stunning turn of events, the White House is not playing the blame game today. In a press conference Tuesday, Deputy White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest stated that ultimately, President Obama was wholly responsible for swapping five terrorists for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
The statement, which at first blush may seem obvious, was a follow-up to Rep. Buck McKeon’s (R-Calif.) claim that the Obama Administration intended to use Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as a “fall guy.”
The new press secretary conferred the entire burden of the controversial prisoner deal back on Obama. As reported by The Hill:
“The president's the commander in chief, and the president's the one that's ultimately responsible for making sure that we fulfill this commitment that we don't leave anybody behind,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.
Earnest added that there was “no daylight between the president and any of his national security advisers about the wisdom of this decision.”
President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with Hagel tonight in the Oval Office. I am sure they will have a lot to talk about.