Bergdahl judge starts deliberating on punishment

A military judge has begun deliberating the punishment for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for endangering comrades by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.

Army Col. Jeffery Nance said he planned to spend Thursday afternoon deliberating. He planned to open court again Friday and could continue deliberating then. He didn’t indicate when he would deliver the sentence.

Both sides gave closing arguments. Prosecutors again cited serious wounds to several service members who searched for Bergdahl. They recommended a prison sentence of 14 years and a punitive discharge.

Defense attorneys argued for leniency by citing Bergahl’s five years in Taliban captivity, harsh campaign-trail criticism by Donald Trump and his mental disorders. They asked for a dishonorable discharge but no confinement as Bergdahl’s sentence.