IS THE PENTAGON PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE BERGDAHL INVESTIGATION?

The investigation into whether or not Bowe Bergdahl deserted was completed last week, but the Pentagon refuses to say when the report will be released

Members of Bowe Bergdahl’s unit testified that he deserted to the Taliban when he abandoned his outpost on the front lines in Afghanistan in June 2009. The investigation into whether or not he is a deserter was completed last week but the Pentagon refuses to say when the report will be released.

Soldiers from Bergdahl’s unit who testified and provided documentation that he deserted to the Taliban, and Republicans are furious about the delay in releasing the report. Some are suggesting that the Pentagon does not want to embarrass the Obama administration by releasing the report ahead of the November elections.

If you recall, Bergdahl was released last May after five years in captivity in exchange for five high-ranking Taliban members who had been held at Guantanamo. The release was heralded with great fanfare. The president even met with Bergdahl’s parents in a White House Rose Garden ceremony. And Susan Rice, the President’s National Security Adviser, went on the Sunday morning TV news shows to declare that Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction” even though the government knew he had been accused of desertion by members of his unit.

Bergdahl was promoted to sergeant while he was held in captivity. He’s been assigned to a desk job at a military base in San Antonio pending a decision on whether or not he will be court martialed. If cleared of wrongdoing, Bergdahl will receive $200,000 in back pay and $150,000 compensation for suffering at the hands of the Taliban.

The Pentagon is prohibited from engaging in politics, but if it is delaying release of the investigation report until after the November elections, the Pentagon is clearly playing politics with a potentially embarrassing situation for the President and his administration. If Bergdahl were to be charged with desertion before the November elections, that would be embarrassing to the administration and could hurt the Democrats in their attempts to maintain control of the Senate.