Arraigned
Bergdahl, wearing a dark blue Army dress uniform and closely cropped hair, is arraigned in military court. He defers entering a plea and does not decide whether he wants to face a court-martial with a jury or one with just a judge.
To face court martial
The Army says Bergdahl will face court-martial with a potential life sentence. In ordering the court martial Army General Robert Abrams did not follow the recommendation of a preliminary hearing which, according to Bergdahl’s lawyer, called for Bergdahl to face a proceeding that could impose a potential maximum penalty of a year in confinement.
Bergdahl’s lawyer says they had “had hoped the case would not go in this direction.” He also asks Donald Trump to “cease his prejudicial months-long campaign of defamation against our client.”
‘Misbehavior before the enemy’ charge
Bergdahl is charged with “misbehavior before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command, unit or place and prompting the military to launch search operations,” according to an Army statement. The charge carries a potential life sentence.
Desertion charge
Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior. Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl’s attorney, a lecturer at Yale Law School, says the Army has scheduled an Article 32 hearing, similar to a preliminary hearing in civilian law, for April 22 in San Antonio, Texas, where Bergdahl is based. The hearing will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with a general court martial.