American hostage Warren Weinstein, whom the White House on Thursday announced had been killed in a U.S. drone attack on an al-Qaida facility in January, should have been released as part of the Bowe Bergdahl trade, said Rep. Duncan Hunter.
"Warren Weinstein did not have to die," the California Republican and Marine Corps veteran said on Thursday.
He blamed Weinstein's continued captivity on inter-agency fighting between the CIA and the FBI.
"The FBI was the lead organization in the recovery mission, but, as I have said repeatedly, the FBI is incapable of leading these efforts in hostile areas," Hunter said. "And the CIA’s focus in this case and others is not on the successful recovery of Americans held captive."
The incident points out that the only government organization seriously developing options to recover Weinstein and others in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region was within the Pentagon, "led by war hero Jason Amerine," Hunter said.
Amerine and his team were developing plans to recover all Western hostages in the area, not just Bergdahl, Hunter said.
"Their planning did not include a 5 for 1 trade, as occurred, but rather a 1 for 7 exchange that included Weinstein," the congressman said. "Due to infighting and disagreements among lead organizations, Amerine and his team struggled to get attention beyond the walls of the Pentagon and were ultimately sidelined."
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