Former Taliban Prisoner U.S. Army Soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl Outlines His Defense

Josh Rogin, Bloomberg: Bergdahl's Defense Is He Was Planning to Come Back

Former Taliban prisoner and U.S. Army soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl told military investigators that he left his base in June 2009 to report on misconduct in his unit and always intended to come right back. That will also be his defense if and when he faces a court martial for desertion, according to his lawyer.

“He had concerns about certain conditions in the unit and things that happened in the unit and he figured that the only way to get any attention to them would be to get that information to a general officer,” Bergdahl’s lawyer, Eugene Fidell, told me Thursday. Fidell plans to argue that Bergdahl was thus technically "absent without official leave" (AWOL), rather than a deserter. The distinction could mean the difference between one month of confinement or life in prison for his client.

WNU Editor: So .... he left the camp to report on misconduct in his unit but he always intended to come right back .... but he was captured and as a result he had to endure years of torture. He even tried to escape 12 times .... but always failed. This is going to be an interesting case.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson: 'Bowe Bergdahl Release ‘Absolutely’ Worth It'

FOX News: Obama administration official defends Bergdahl trade despite charges

The incoming White House communications director defended the decision to trade Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban leaders last year, even as newly announced desertion charges for Bergdahl renewed Republican criticism of the prisoner swap.

"Was it worth it? Absolutely," Jen Psaki told Megyn Kelly on Fox News' "The Kelly File." "We have a commitment to our men and women serving in the military, defending our national security every day, that we're going to do everything to bring them home if we can, and that's what we did in this case."

Psaki's comments were the first from a top administration official since the charges were announced earlier Wednesday.

Lawmakers who long were critical of the 2014 prisoner swap, meanwhile, pointed to the latest development in reviving those concerns.

Previous Post: U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl To Be Charged With Desertion

WNU Editor: At least the White House has the common sense to not say anything .... White House Silent After Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Charged With Treason (Breitbart).

U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl To Be Charged With Desertion

CNN: Breaking News: Residents are looting Yemeni presidential compound in Aden vacated hours earlier by President Hadi

Washington (CNN)Military officials are set to charge Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for leaving his post in Afghanistan before being captured and held captive for five years, according to Bergdahl's attorney and a congressional source.

The charges are scheduled to be announced at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The decision comes nearly a year after Bergdahl returned to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange and since the Army began a formal investigation into his disappearance from his unit in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009.

More News On U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl To Be Charged With Desertion

U.S. former war prisoner Bergdahl faces desertion charges: attorney -- Reuters
Official: US military to charge Bergdahl with desertion -- AP
Sgt. Bergdahl charged with desertion -- Washington Post
Bergdahl to be charged with desertion -- USA Today
Bowe Bergdahl to be charged with desertion, his attorney says -- ABC News
Bergdahl to be charged with desertion, official says -- FOX News
Reports: Bowe Bergdahl to be charged with desertion -- Army Times
US soldier Bowe Bergdahl to be charged with desertion -- The Guardian

A Plea Deal In The 'Works' For Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl?

FOX News: White House trying to get Bergdahl to strike a deal?

Retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer claimed Thursday that the White House is trying to get Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to strike a deal in order to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial for the administration.

"They want this to go away as quietly as possible," Shaffer, a former military intelligence officer, said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom."

President Obama faced criticism for trading Bergdahl, accused by some of deserting, for five Taliban leaders being held at Guantanamo Bay. Shaffer claims there were other options on the table that might have had "better success ... without giving up five adversaries." He added that "these guys are going to be going back to a rock star welcome and return to combat" when conditions on their release are lifted in the coming months.

WNU Editor: I thought that this case was going to be resolved months ago .... but apparently it is still ongoing. Why is this the case .... only the White House really knows.

One Of The Five Detainees Released From Guantanamo Bay In Return For Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Has Attempted To Return To The Taliban

CNN: Officials: Detainee swapped for Bergdahl suspected of militant activities

WNU Editor: Why am I not surprised. All five were hard-core confirmed Taliban commanders .... and U.S. intelligence predicted that 4 of the 5 would eventually return to the battlefield .... U.S. Intelligence: 4 Of The ‘Taliban 5’ Will Likely Return To The Battlefield. As to who exactly were the five that were released .... check the above video.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl To Be Charged For Desertion

FOX News: Bergdahl to be charged with desertion, ex-military intel officer says

WNU Editor: Retired Lieutenant Colonel Tony Shaffer is a reliable source .... so reports that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is going to be charged for desertion are probably true. Was he worth trading for five high valued Taliban leaders .... that debate will probably be with us for he remainder of President Obama's term and for future swaps.

More News On Reports That Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Will Be Charged For Desertion

Bowe Bergdahl to be charged with desertion, retired officer tells Fox -- Washington Times
Bowe Bergdahl WILL be charged with desertion: Prisoner-of-war held by Taliban for five years after going missing from his post to face charges -- Daily Mail
Army Official Reveals Tough Charges the Military Has Planned for POW Bowe Bergdahl -- IJReview
Report: Bergdahl to Be Charged With Desertion, WH ‘Battling Behind Scenes’ to Stop Charges -- Washington Free Beacon

Why is The Pentagon Still Holding Back The Bergdahl Report?

Photo: Bowe Robert Bergdahl

Lt. Col. Bill Cowan (ret.), FOX News: Is nervous Obama White House holding Bergdahl report hostage?

WNU Editor: U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey did say last week that he expected a decision "fairly soon" on whether to court-martial Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for desertion or possibly other charges .... so I do expect some news soon.

GAO: Bergdahl Swap For Five Taliban Leaders Violated U.S. Law

Photo: U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Berghdal is pictured in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Army and received by Reuters on May 31, 2014. Credit: Reuters/U.S. Army/Handout via Reuters

U.S. Watchdog Finds Pentagon Broke Law In Bergdahl Transfer -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The Defense Department violated U.S. law by failing to alert Congress before releasing five Taliban members held at Guantanamo Bay military prison in exchange for a captured U.S. soldier, a government watchdog agency said on Thursday.

The Government Accountability Office said the Pentagon broke the law by using money appropriated by Congress to carry out the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners without giving lawmakers the required 30-day notice.

"In addition, because DoD (the Department of Defense) used appropriated funds to carry out the transfer when no money was available for that purpose, DoD violated the Antideficiency Act" barring agencies from spending more than authorized, the GAO said in a letter posted on its website.

Read more ....

Update: Bergdahl swap violated law, legal opinion says -- USA Today

My Comment: The above Reuters post blames the Pentagon for violating the law .... but we all know that it was the White House (i.e. President Obama) who is the one who should be blamed for violating this law.

Taliban Leader Released For Bergdahl Is Regarded As A Psychopath By Those Who Caught Him

Obama Freed A Taliban ‘Psychopath’ In Bergdahl Trade, Army Colonel Says -- Washington Times

‘Petty tyrant’ lost stature after capture in early days of war in Afghanistan

In a pointed assessment, an Army colonel advising the National Security Council says one of the Taliban prisoners released in the Obama administration’s deal to free Army Sgt. Bowe Berghdal is a “psychopath” who poses a “danger to fellow Afghans.”

Army Col. Mark Mitchell, director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, is a Green Beret who helped capture Mullah Mohammad Fazl in the early days of the war in Afghanistan.

Read more ....

My Comment: The U.S. are not the only ones who are releasing psychopaths who end up going back to the war-zone .... Taliban commander behind Ghor executions was freed from prison 3 months ago (Long War Journal).