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IDemo

(16,926 posts) Sat Oct 10, 2015, 02:47 PM Oct 2015

Officer in Bergdahl Hearing Recommends No Jail Time, His Lawyers Say

Source: ABC News

The Army officer who presided over Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's preliminary hearing last month has recommended that he should not face any jail time or a punitive discharge for charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the sergeant's lawyers said.

According to Bergdahl's defense team, the officer has also recommended that Bergdahl's case should proceed to a lower level court martial that limits a maximum penalty for convictions to a year in prison. A four star general will review the officer’s recommendation and determine how Bergdahl's case will be handled.

Bergdahl's civilian attorney Eugene Fidell confirmed to ABC News that Lt. Col. Mark Visger "recommended that the charges be referred to a special court-martial and that a punitive discharge and confinement would be inappropriate given all the circumstances."

Special Court Martials review cases that would equate to misdemeanors in the civilian system and limit maximum punishments to one year of jail time, a reduction in rank and a bad conduct discharge. Under a general court martial Bergdahl could face a maximum life sentence for the charge of misbehavior before the enemy and five years jail time if convicted of desertion.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/officer-bergdahl-hearing-recommends-jail-time-lawyers/story?id=34389608

12 replies

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Highlight:

Officer in Bergdahl Hearing Recommends No Jail Time, His Lawyers Say (Original Post) IDemo Oct 2015 OP

He mustn't have as deep an understanding of the issue as Trump. Jim__ Oct 2015 #1

Ha, get out of my head, I need to learn to type faster!!!! LOL winstars Oct 2015 #3

But, but, but tRump said we should kill 'em. This can't be right. His military school experience? winstars Oct 2015 #2

Sgt Bergdahl liberal from boston Oct 2015 #4

Good. TwilightGardener Oct 2015 #5

He made a serious mistake but leftyladyfrommo Oct 2015 #6

Forget that... TipTok Oct 2015 #7

Aren't there bullet trains, illegals and Hillary emails you should be addressing? IDemo Oct 2015 #9

I think being held by the Taliban for five years Blue_In_AK Oct 2015 #8

Yes, I agree. leftyladyfrommo Oct 2015 #10

If Berghdal goes to prison, everyone who pushed him through the pipeline should go, too. MADem Oct 2015 #11

So THIS investigation is to be hailed. But the Manning investigation was a sham. 7962 Oct 2015 #12

Jim__

(14,074 posts)

1. He mustn't have as deep an understanding of the issue as Trump.

Reply to IDemo (Original post)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 03:00 PM

Oct 2015

Unfortunately, from faux:

LAS VEGAS – Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Thursday that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl should have been executed for leaving his post in Afghanistan.

"We're tired of Sgt. Bergdahl, who's a traitor, a no-good traitor, who should have been executed," Trump said to cheers at a rowdy rally inside a packed Las Vegas theater at the casino-hotel Treasure Island.

"Thirty years ago," Trump added, "he would have been shot."

It was practically an aside in a litany of complaints at the end of a more than hourlong, free-wheeling speech that included a large dose of media-bashing and a claim that he was behind Rep. Kevin McCarthy's decision to drop out of the race for House speaker.

...

But then, he probably didn't attend that military prep school that Trump did.

winstars

(4,219 posts)

3. Ha, get out of my head, I need to learn to type faster!!!! LOL

Reply to Jim__ (Reply #1)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 03:08 PM

Oct 2015

winstars

(4,219 posts)

2. But, but, but tRump said we should kill 'em. This can't be right. His military school experience?

Reply to IDemo (Original post)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 03:07 PM

Oct 2015

Military school is just like or better than actually serving.

A General on the TeeVee said it!

The stupid these days is amazing.

Rich fucks with no brains.

Brain surgeons with no brains.

Elected representatives with no brains.

If there is a Zombie Apocalypse, there is gonna be some Zombies that won't get fed...

liberal from boston

(856 posts)

4. Sgt Bergdahl

Reply to winstars (Reply #2)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 03:26 PM

Oct 2015

Lawrence O'Donnell did a great segment on Sgt Bergdahl a few weeks ago: Here is the link:http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027192639

TwilightGardener

(46,416 posts)

5. Good.

Reply to IDemo (Original post)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 04:03 PM

Oct 2015

leftyladyfrommo

(18,868 posts)

6. He made a serious mistake but

Reply to IDemo (Original post)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 04:32 PM

Oct 2015

He more than paid for it.

I think they should just let him go back to civilian life with a dishonorable discharge.

TipTok

(2,474 posts)

7. Forget that...

Reply to leftyladyfrommo (Reply #6)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 05:58 PM

Oct 2015

Let him rot...

IDemo

(16,926 posts)

9. Aren't there bullet trains, illegals and Hillary emails you should be addressing?

Reply to TipTok (Reply #7)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 06:31 PM

Oct 2015

Blue_In_AK

(46,436 posts)

8. I think being held by the Taliban for five years

Reply to IDemo (Original post)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 06:23 PM

Oct 2015

is probably punishment enough. I feel sorry for Sgt. Bergdahl.

leftyladyfrommo

(18,868 posts)

10. Yes, I agree.

Reply to Blue_In_AK (Reply #8)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 07:17 PM

Oct 2015

5 years in captivity is enough to pay for a really stupid mistake.

MADem

(135,425 posts)

11. If Berghdal goes to prison, everyone who pushed him through the pipeline should go, too.

Reply to IDemo (Original post)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 09:54 PM

Oct 2015

From the recruiters to the OICs and then some--and I'm talking about the "guilty parties" who gave him a prior service waiver, who shoved him through the MEPS physical (probably towards the end of the month, when the floor is full of potential recruits and the elderly--retired--doctors are inattentive) and who overlooked his obvious social shortcomings in their eagerness to put a "butt on the bus." Never mind the people who looked the other way if he had any intermediate training enroute to the war zone--they deserve a bite of that apple, too.

There were so many opportunities to identify this guy as a low quality recruit--at least, according to his detractors--and no one did so.

Yeah, he was an idiot, but he has paid, plenty. Let him go home. Enough, already.

7962

(11,841 posts)

12. So THIS investigation is to be hailed. But the Manning investigation was a sham.

Reply to IDemo (Original post)

Sun Oct 11, 2015, 08:32 AM

Oct 2015

SO we only laud the ones that go the way we want them to go. Ok.
More likely that this general gets another star in the next yr or so.
Dont know about deaths, but CBS did a story on a soldier who lost a leg on a search mission for bergdahl.
Not to mention the men swapped FOR him. Cant forget who those guys were.

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