Donald Trump might receive a summons to testify during the trial of embattled Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl as reported by The Washington Times. Bergdahl left his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and he was captured by the Taliban.
Bergdahl’s lawyer has since argued that Trump has compromised his client’s right to a fair and impartial trial because over the last several months he has made comments at campaign events calling Sgt. Bergdahl a traitor and saying he “should have been executed.”The attorney is saying if Trump is compelled to testify in the proceedings he could be required to appear in the middle of the presidential election.
Sgt. Bergdahl’s lawyer Eugene Fidell told Bloomberg:
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It is very likely the military courts may not be convinced Trump’s influence over politics and public opinion are legally relevant to Bergdahl’s constitutional right to receive a fair trial. If the courts do grant his lawyers a motion to have a hearing on the issue, Trump could be called to the stand.
In a court filing, Bergdahl’s attorneys argued:The First Amendment rules out any effort to prevent Mr. Trump from making these defamatory remarks. The fact remains, however, that his pattern of doing so, with the full glare of public attention before mass audiences around the country, materially threatens Bergdahl’s right to fair consideration by the convening authority as well as in a court-martial.
