Bowe Bergdahl, the US Army sergeant held captive in Afghanistan for five years before being freed in a prisoner swap — and then accused of desertion — appeared in court Wednesday, officials said.
Bergdahl faces an eventual court-martial at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on charges of desertion and “misbehavior before the enemy” stemming from his disappearance from Combat Outpost Mest-Malak in Paktika Province, Afghanistan on June 20, 2009.
Lawyers at Wednesday’s hearing discussed a series of motions, including one about the potential admissibility of testimony by people involved in his search, should the court-martial reach a sentencing phase, Fort Bragg said in a statement.
After walking off base, Bergdahl was quickly captured by militants from the feared Haqqani network, a Taliban-allied outfit blamed for many deadly attacks.
He was eventually released to US special forces in 2014 in a swap for five Afghan Guantanamo Bay detainees.
While campaigning, President Donald Trump repeatedly called Bergdahl a “traitor” and the soldier’s lawyers have tried to have the case tossed on grounds that such remarks would have prejudiced any jury pool.
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