Panetta: Deserter or Not, the Issue with Bergdahl Was the Number of Taliban We Traded

MITCHELL: "The administration with some fanfare in the Rose Garden traded him for five high value Taliban prisoners who were left in Qatar under house arrest and the Qataris have not committed to extending that beyond this May. It was a one year house arrest. Was that a mistake given clear evidence at the time that he had deserted?"

PANETTA: "The whole effort here was aimed at a United States soldier who was in enemy hands and nobody knew for sure at that point whether he was in fact a deserter, we don't know that for a fact. Now he’ll face trial on that issue. I think the bigger question has always been the number of Taliban terrorists who were returned in exchange for him and whether or not they were secured enough to make sure that they would not return to the battlefield. I think that was the main area of concern. I think ultimately, we make a commitment that nobody should be left behind so I think the principle effort to try to find some way to get that individual back was a worthy effort."

MITCHELL: "Do you think that — do we have any leverage now with the Qataris to try to get them to at least keep them under house arrest and I should say that’s a very loose term. I’ve seen the area where they are being held and it is quite luxurious."

PANETTA: "That was always my concern going back to when I was secretary and there was discussion about this was the question of whether or not these individuals would be secured enough to make sure they don’t return to the battlefield. I think there ought to be a lot of pressure brought on the Qataris to try to do everything possible to ensure that they maintain security of these individuals. The danger here is that obviously they could bring their expertise back to the battlefield and that could jeopardize not only U.S. soldiers but others as well."