A U.S. Army sergeant charged with desertion for leaving his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009 has asked President Barack Obama for a pardon.
The White House confirmed on December 3 that Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl had asked for the presidential pardon before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
Trump made critical comments about Bergdahl during his presidential campaign, calling him "a no-good traitor who should have been executed."
Trump also has criticized a 2014 prisoner swap that won Bergdahl’s release after five years as a prisoner of Afghanistan’s Taliban.
The 30-year-old Bergdahl is facing a court-martial with a possible life sentence.
The White House did not comment on his pending case or what Obama’s response would be to the request for the pardon.