Former Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is expected to plead guilty later this month to misbehavior before an enemy and desertion rather than face a trial, according to the New York Post.
Bergdahl will reportedly submit his guilty verdict sometime before sentencing.
The sentencing is set to begin on Oct. 23.
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He faces up to five years in prison for the charge of desertion and a life sentence for the charge of misbehavior before an enemy.
Bergdahl deserted his Afghanistan post in 2009, and was captured by the members of the Taliban. He was held captive by the Taliban for roughly five years, where the terrorist group posted a video online showing Bergdahl indicating he was “scared” that he wouldn’t return home safely.
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In another video, he criticized the U.S. military in his video and took issue with the United States’ operations in the region.
He claimed that he was captured by the Taliban after lagging behind his patrol in Afghanistan. Bergdahl also claimed that he deserted his post to warn nearby people about problems he perceived were associated within his military unit.
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The former Army sergeant was released by the Taliban in May 2014 after former President Barack Obama’s administration agreed to release five Taliban detainees from in Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. prison in Cuba which houses terrorists.
Bergdahl was formally charged in March 2015, and was not granted a pardon from Obama before his second term in office ended.
President Donald Trump has not minced his words with regards to Bergdahl.
In August 2015, Trump called Bergdahl a “dirty, rotten traitor.” He also tweeted that same year that he believes that Bergdahl should “face the death penalty” for deserting his post in Afghanistan.
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/581059354511671296 ?lang=en
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A soldier who served with Bergdahl said he was a deserter whose “selfish act” put other American soldiers at risk because of his decision to abandon his post.
“I was pissed off then, and I am even more so now with everything going on,” said former Sgt. Matt Vierkant, who said he was a member of Bergdahl’s unit in 2009.
“Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war, and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him,” he added.
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