U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) joked Friday that President Barack Obama should have traded Democrats instead of Taliban members in the prisoner swap that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl last weekend.
"Mr. President, let's set up a new trade. Instead of five Taliban, let's trade five Democrats!" Paul said at the Texas GOP convention on Friday, in remarks that were tweeted out by his staff and immediately caused a stir on Twitter.
According to Politico, he went on to suggest some possible Democrats for the trade: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a possible Democratic presidential frontrunner in 2016; current Secretary of State John Kerry; and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
"I don’t know about y'all, but I've been a little bit annoyed with the president," Paul said. "Releasing five Taliban senior officials is not only against the law, it's illegal and wrong and he should never have done it."
The Obama administration has come under fire for the prisoner swap. Several fellow soldiers who served with Bergdahl claimed he willingly deserted his unit. And members of Congress have accused Obama of breaking the law with the swap, since it did not feature a required 30-day notice of Congress. The administration has said publicly and privately that Bergdahl's life was possibly in danger if it did not execute the swap immediately and in secret.
Paul's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on his speech.