Army Officer: Bergdahl Charged With Desertion, WH Wants It Kept Quiet

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been charged with desertion, but the White House is trying to keep the story under wraps, a retired Army officer said Monday on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor."

An Army report on Bergdhal was finished in October, but has yet to be released. White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes is trying to keep the information from becoming public because it would embarrass President Barack Obama, said Lt. Col. Tony Schaffer.

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Bergdahl walked away from his camp in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was captured by the Taliban. He was held for five years until he was traded for five Taliban leaders being held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay last summer.

Some of Bergdahl's platoon-mates publicly criticized the trade, saying Bergdahl had abandoned his unit and placed the lives of his comrades in danger when they searched fruitlessly for him.

Shaffer told Fox News he has confirmed that the investigation concluded that Bergdahl's key violation was desertion, and that he will face a military court martial.

"This has been done. The decision has been made," Schaffer said. "Let me be very clear. As a corporate entity, the Army has decided that they want to pursue Bergdahl for this violation."

But, Schaffer said, the White House is attempting to keep the information from being made public because it would embarrass Obama, who brought Bergdahl's parents to the White House for a Rose Garden announcement of the release.

"This is shaping up to be titanic struggle behind the scenes," Shaffer said. The Army here wants to do the right thing."

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