LF: Sgt Bowe Bergdahl's lawyers want to meet Trump over his comments about their client being a 'no good traitor'

Title: Sgt Bowe Bergdahl's lawyers want to meet Trump over his comments about their client being a 'no good traitor'
Source: Daily Mail Online
URL Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art ... -meeting-Trump-statements.html
Published: Mar 6, 2016
Author: Associated Press
Post Date: 2016-03-06 05:46:57 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 132

Attorneys for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl said they may seek a deposition from Donald Trump or call him as a witness at a legal proceeding, saying they fear his comments could affect their client's right to a fair trial.

Bergdahl's attorney Army Lt. Col. Franklin Rosenblatt asked Trump in a letter dated on Saturday for an interview to discuss his comments about Bergdahl, who faces military charges after walking off a post in Afghanistan in 2009.

Defense attorney Eugene Fidell previously asked, publicly, that Trump cease making comments about Bergdahl, such as his comment in October that the soldier was a 'traitor, a no-good traitor, who should have been executed.'

Attorneys for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (right) said they may seek a deposition from Donald Trump (left) or call him as a witness, saying they fear his comments could affect their client's right to a fair trial

Fidell has also previously said that Trump gave incorrect information about rescue efforts for Bergdahl during public speeches.

He said the Republican presidential candidate's statements could affect Bergahl's right to a fair trial.

The letter sent to Trump's New York office by registered mail said the interview would determine whether they will seek to have him give a deposition or appear as a witness at a legal hearing.

'I request to interview you as soon as possible about your comments about Sergeant Bergdahl during frequent appearances in front of large audiences in advance of his court-martial,' Rosenblatt wrote in the letter on U.S. Army letterhead.

Fidell said in an email to The Associated Press that Trump's statements 'raise a serious question as to whether he has compromised Sgt. Bergdahl's right to a fair trial.'

A spokeswoman for Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to an email and a phone call seeking comment.

Bergdahl faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, a relatively rare charge that carries a punishment of up to life in prison.

The letter sent to Trump's New York office by registered mail said the interview would determine whether they will seek to have him give a deposition or appear as a witness at a legal hearing

His trial had been tentatively scheduled for the summer, but legal wrangling over access to classified documents has caused delays.

Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

He was released in late May 2014 as part of a prisoner swap, in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay.

The move prompted harsh criticism, with some in Congress accusing President Barack Obama of jeopardizing the safety of the country.