Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday said that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl would have been executed for leaving his post in Afghanistan in the past.
{mosads}The businessman called Bergdahl, a 29-year-old Army sergeant who who left his post in 2009 and was held captive by the Taliban for five years, a “no-good traitor” who would have been shot 30 years ago.
Trump made the comments at a rally in Las Vegas at the Treasure Island casino.
The U.S. recovered Bergdahl last year from the Taliban in a secret swap for five senior Taliban commanders held at Guantánamo Bay. The move broke a law requiring the White House to notify members of Congress before any detainee transfers, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Trump has long criticized that deal.
Bergdahl was charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy in March, and the Army conducted a hearing on his case last month.
There is a recommendation on whether Bergdahl will face a court martial, but it has not been released to the public yet.