Judge to decide Trump's sway in US Army deserter Bergdahl's case
A military judge will weigh whether President Donald Trumps critical statements about U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl have hurt the soldiers chances of getting fair treatment in the desertion case that could send him to prison for life.
Bergdahls lead attorney, Eugene Fidell, argued on Monday that the 31-year-old Idaho native should be spared prison time because the Republican president has unlawfully influenced the proceedings.
His statements clearly called for Sergeant Bergdahl to be severely punished, Fidell said in court at North Carolinas Fort Bragg.
Bergdahl pleaded guilty last week to walking off his combat outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and endangering the lives of fellow troops. He was quickly captured by the Taliban and spent the next five years suffering torture, abuse and neglect in captivity.
https://www.rawstory.com/2017/10/judge-to-decide-trumps-sway-in-us-army-deserter-bergdahls-case/