The negotiated release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been a media coup for the Obama administration since they managed to recover the only POW from the war in Afghanistan just as the announcement was made of the U.S. troop withdrawal. However, Republicans are questioning the president's decision.

According to Republicans, two issues are at hand. The first is one mere procedural concern. The president failed to notify Congress within the required 30 days accorded by law. However, the administration argues that, due to the situation's delicate nature and the swiftness of the transaction, there was little time to inform them, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the administration decided to move forward on the trade because Bergdahl's "safety and health were both in jeopardy." He told reporters that due to the video obtained in January of this year, the administration noticed his health "deteriorating" and decided "to save his life."

He finally added that the negotiations moved quickly and that the decision had to be made to save Bergdahl. However, Republicans led by former POW Sen. John McCain from Arizona criticized the administration's decision to give up prisoners, according to Reuters.

"These are the highest high-risk people. Others that we have released have gone back into the fight," said McCain on CBS's "Face the Nation.". "That's been documented. So it's disturbing to me that the Taliban are the ones that named the people to be released."

"We didn't negotiate with terrorists," Hagel said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press". "As I said and explained before, Sgt. Bergdahl was a prisoner of war. That's a normal process in getting your prisoners back."

Despite Hagel's assurances, Republicans and even Afghan officials expressed their skepticism. They argue that the men released in Qatar, despite their restrictions, will rejoin the Taliban and fight against the country. Yet, the administration supports the decision, including national security advisor Susan Rice.

"We had reason to be concerned that this was an urgent and an acute situation, that his life could have been at risk," Rice said on ABC's "This Week." "We did not have 30 days to wait. And had we waited and lost him, I don't think anybody would have forgiven the United States government."