California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter compared Secretary of State John Kerry to Bergdahl, saying Kerry "turned his back" on his fellow soldiers like Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the recently released prisoner of war, who some have claimed was a deserter.
"As John Kerry threw his medals over the White House fence and turned his back on all of his Vietnam brothers and sisters, that's what Bergdahl did," Hunter said in an interview with Fox News. "Bergdahl walked away from his men and he left them in a bad spot. People lost their lives or got hurt trying to find him."
Hunter also took issue with the characterization from White House aides that soldiers who served with Bergdahl and have been critical are "swift boating" him. Hunter described the move as "pathetic allegations put out there to hide a botched foreign policy move."
Lawmakers have also criticized the Obama administration for not notifying Congress in advance of the prisoner swap 30 days prior, as required by law. The administration has argued because of Bergdahl's health they needed to move quickly.
Republicans and others have criticized the deal in which five Taliban captives were traded for Bergdahl saying it sets a precedent for the exchange of prisoners of war in the future.