TIME White House

President Trump Says Bowe Bergdahl’s Sentence Is a ‘Disgrace.’ But It’s Partly His Fault

[video id=yIVBVFDI ]

President Trump tweeted Friday that a judge’s decision to not give Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl any jail time for deserting his post is a “complete and total disgrace.”

“The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military,” Trump tweeted.

The judge, Col. Jeffery R. Nance of the Army, gave Bergdahl a dishonorable discharge, reduced his rank to private and said he must forfeit pay equal to $1,000 per month for 10 months. But he decided Bergdahl should not serve prison time.

Despite Trump’s anger at the outcome, his own comments may have helped lighten Bergdahl’s sentence. The defense attorneys argued that Bergdahl could not receive a fair sentence because as a presidential candidate, Trump repeatedly called him a “dirty, rotten traitor” and suggested he be executed or thrown from a plane without a parachute. Nance said he hadn’t been influenced by Trump’s remarks, but said Monday, “I will consider the president’s comments as mitigation evidence as I arrive at an appropriate sentence.”

In October, Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and endangering the troops who searched for him. He left his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and spent five years in captivity by the Taliban. President Obama engaged in a prisoner swap to bring Bergdahl home in 2014.

Your browser is out of date. Please update your browser at http://update.microsoft.com


YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.

The TIME Team