Bowe Bergdahl's Attorneys Want to Interview Donald Trump About Campaign Trail Comments
Attorneys upset by comments at campaign events.
— -- Bowe Bergdahl's attorneys have sent a letter to Donald Trump, requesting an interview to determine whether the Republican presidential front-runner should be deposed about his comments about their client on the campaign trail or should appear as a witness during a motions hearing for Bergdahl's court martial.
"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," wrote Lt. Colonel Franklin D. Rosenblatt in a letter addressed to Donald Trump. The letter was released to news organizations on Saturday.
Rosenblatt wrote Trump he was requesting the interview "based on your personal knowledge of matters that are relevant to Sergeant Bergdahl's right to a fair trial."
"This interview will help us determine whether to seek a deposition order under Rule for Court-Martial 702 or your personal appearance as a witness at an Article 39(a) session of the court-martial," he added.
The attorney assumed the interview would "last less than two hours" and wrote, "I will try to keep it as short as possible in light of your busy schedule."
Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the attorney's request.
During campaign events Trump has sometimes referred to Bergdahl as a deserter who deserves the death penalty if convicted. He has also claimed that some soldiers were killed during the search for Bergdahl following his disappearance in June 2009.
It is not the first time that Bergdahl's attorneys have been upset with Trump's comments this presidential campaign season.
In December, Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl's civilian attorney complained about Trump in the note in which he confirmed that Bergdahl's case would proceed to a court martial.
"We again ask that Donald Trump cease his prejudicial months-long campaign of defamation against our client," he wrote.
Held captive by the Taliban for nearly five years, Bergdahl will face a court martial later this year for charges including desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. He faces life in a military prison if convicted on the charge of misbehavior before the enemy.
Bergdahl's court martial was originally slated for August, but that process is on hold while military prosecutors have appealed to a military appeals court about a ruling by the presiding judge in the case that granted the defense team access to some classified information.