Trump: Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl's sentence 'is a complete and total disgrace'

pulse

November 3, 2017 6:02 PM

Trump repeatedly criticize Bergdahl on the campaign trail, saying the Army deserter should be executed.

US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge on Friday.
President Donald Trump quickly condemned the ruling, echoing his campaign-trail denunciations of Bergdahl.
Bergdahl's defense team argued Trump's comments would affect the case, though the judge disagreed.

Just hours after Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl avoided jail time after pleading guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, President Donald Trump chimed in with stinging criticism of the case's resolution.

"The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military," Trump tweeted early Friday afternoon.

Bergdahl walked off his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was quickly captured by the Taliban. He was then held for five years by members of the Haqqani network, suffering abuse throughout his time as prisoner. He was turned over to the US in exchange for five Taliban detainees in 2014 — a deal that has been sharply criticized since.

The defense filed a motion to dismiss the case on October 23 based on Trump's comments.

Nance denied it, saying that while the comments were "disturbing and disappointing," they didn't represent unlawful command influence by the soon-to-be commander in chief.

Nance ruled earlier this week that Trump's remarks had not influenced him or Bergdahl's chance for a fair trial, but he did say he would consider them as a mitigating factor.

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