Bergdahl dodges jail
ARMY SGT. Bowe Bergdahl was spared prison Friday for wandering off his military base in Afghanistan eight years ago, a ruling President Trump blasted as a “disgrace.”
The former Taliban hostage (photo) had faced the possibility of up to life in prison after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior in front of the enemy.
The ruling came after a lengthy sentencing hearing highlighted by emotional veterans wounded amid their search for him and a doctor, who suggested Bergdahl was schizophrenic when he wandered off the base.
During the presidential campaign, Trump called Bergdahl “a dirty rotten traitor” and said he deserved serious punishment.
But Col. Jeffrey Nance, the military judge, decided a lengthy prison sentence wasn’t warranted for Bergdahl, who was tortured by the Taliban during his five years in captivity. Nance did not explain his ruling, which also slapped the 31-year-old with a dishonorable discharge, reduced his rank from sergeant to private and ordered him to forfeit pay equal to $1,000 per month for 10 months.
He will also lose all his benefits, including medical.
Trump tweeted shortly after the ruling, “The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military.”
Defense lawyer Eugene Fidell told reporters that his client had “looked forward to today for a long time.” Bergdahl “is grateful to everyone who searched for him,” especially those who “heroically sustained injuries,” he said.
Fidell also took aim at Trump for his inflammatory comments on his client.
Trump “made really extraordinary, reprehensible comments targeted directly at our client,” Fidell told reporters, calling the situation “one of the most preposterous states of affairs” in American legal history. He said the defense team sees “an extremely strong basis for dismissal of the case” on appeal.
The White House said it had no comment on the sentence and instead referred back to a statement from several weeks ago in which Trump said he “expects all military personnel who are involved in any way in the military justice process to exercise their independent professional judgement, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.”
Bergdahl’s lawyers had argued for no jail time, charging that Trump’s comments had tainted the legal process against him. Nance said the comments would not affect how he ruled.
Bergdahl took responsibility for his actions and said he mourned “for those who have suffered and their families.
“I made a horrible mistake,” he said.