POW hit with rap
Desertion case vs. Bowe spurs new swap flap
WASHINGTON — The Army charged Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, freed by the Taliban after five years in captivity in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners, with desertion on Wednesday, reigniting angry attacks on the swap.
Republicans renewed charges that the deal struck by President Obama does not stop the former prisoners from returning to the battlefield.
The deal “made Americans less safe,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “Knowing that the United States does not negotiate with terrorists is one of our greatest protections, and now it is compromised.”
Bergdahl has also been charged with “misbehavior before the enemy” for his actions in Afghanistan.
The 28-year-old could face life in prison if convicted of the misbehavior charge, while desertion includes a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Bergdahl next faces a military hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury, in San Antonio, Tex.
The Idaho native is accused of abandoning his base near Pakistan in 2009. The Taliban captured him within minutes, and held him as a prisoner until May.
Bergdahl also could lose his rank and be forced to reimburse taxpayers for his pay and allowances if he’s found guilty in a court martial.
His time in Taliban captivity should help him avoid prison if convicted. But by convicting him, the military can bar him from receiving special compensation for prisoners of war.
The controversial trade of Taliban prisoners for Bergdahl infuriated critics who claimed the deal broke a law requiring congressional consultation and endangers U.S. soldiers.
Former servicemen have said that fellow soldiers died while searching for Bergdahl, a claim the Pentagon disputes.
The fighters released as part of the the exchange included Mohammad Fazl, who led a deadly prison revolt in northern Afghanistan. CIA operative Johnny (Mike) Spann was killed in the 2001 uprising, the first American casualty in Afghanistan.
Fazl was freed this past May 31, along with Norullah Noori, Mohammad Nabi Omari, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Abdul Haq Wasiq.
Relatives of Kayla Mueller, an American who died this year while held by ISIS, blamed the Bergdahl deal for poisoning negotiations that could have brought the aid worker home.