The controversy surrounding President Obama’s deal to release five Gitmo prisoners in exchange for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who either went AWOL or is a POW, when he was captured in Afghanistan five years ago. It now turns out that the White House is apologizing for an “oversight,” in which they neglected to tell Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the other heads of intelligence committees of the deal.

Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein told reporters when the Obama administration approached the House and Senate Intelligence committees in 2011, “there was very strong views and they were virtually unanimous against the trade.” She said, “The notification to us is important and I think that it would have been a much better thing to do because you do try to work together.” Here’s the salt Sen. Feinstein rubbed in the wound: Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken apologized for not notifying her of the trade sooner” and said it was an “oversight.”

It would seem that Feinstein’s version of events has also been backed up by her Republican colleagues, such as House Intelligence Committe chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, who said, “I don’t know what he means by consulted Congress for some time.” “In 2011, they did come up and present a plan that included a prisoner transfer that was, in a bipartisan way, pushed back.” He added, “We hadn’t heard anything since on any details of any prisoner exchange.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) slammed President Obama for going behind Congress’ back to get Bergdahl released. He said, the president “didn’t follow the law” when he unilaterally made the decision to release the five senior Taliban prisoners. He added, “We have a law in this country, it says you have to notify Congress within 30 days. He completely ignored it. He’s gone rogue.”

This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.