This is what happens when you have a MASSIVE POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL FIGHT going on behind the scenes of a controversial issue. Fox reported -Pentagon officals leaking- Yes, Bergdahl would be charged; NBC confirmed that initial FOX report, further citing “senior defense officials”.
But the White House, President Obama, Tony Blinkin, Denis McDonough and Ben Rhodes are apoplectic at the thought of how politically embarrassing this revelation would be. So the Army is forced out with a denial.
Army spox: Bergdahl reporting from Fox/NBC "patently false.. there have been no actions or decisions on the Sgt. Bergdahl investigation"
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 27, 2015
The Daily Mail has more on the denial.
ORIGINAL – (Reuters) – U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who disappeared from his base in Afghanistan in 2009 but was released last year in a prisoner swap with the Taliban, will be charged with desertion, according to NBC.
The television network, citing senior defense officials, said the charges could come within a week. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report, and Bergdahl’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.
Last month, the Army said it sent the findings from its investigation to a U.S. general to decide whether to discipline the soldier, who spent five years in captivity after leaving his post.
He was released in May in exchange for five prisoners from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The deal that led to his release was blasted by some Republicans, and some of Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers have labeled him a deserter. (read more)