Former Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl filed a lawsuit last week alleging President Donald Trump and the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) caused “undue command influence” in his 2017 court-martial case in which he pleaded guilty on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
Bergdahl’s lawsuit, filed in the Washington D.C. federal court, accuses Trump and McCain of unduly influencing his case and further alleges the judge presiding over his original case had a duty to disclose that he was seeking a “lucrative job” with the Trump-era Department of Justice. Bergdahl’s lawsuit seeks to overturn his 2017 conviction, for which he was reduced to the rank of private and dishonorably discharged.
Bowe Bergdahl Petitions Federal Court to Have His Case Expunged
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl leaves a motions hearing during a lunch break on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Fort Bragg, N.C. (Andrew Craft/The Fayetteville Observer via AP)
19 Feb 2021
Former Army Sgt. Robert Bowe Bergdahl has filed a petition in federal court seeking to have his military conviction and sentence expunged based on arguments of unlawful command influence by former President Donald Trump and new information about the judge who presided over his court-martial.
Bergdahl’s attorneys filed paperwork Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeking review of the case, alleging that the military court system failed to recognize the impact of comments made by Trump and the late Sen. John McCain, as well as the presiding judge s failure to disclose information about his employment plans after retirement.