Military Orders Bergdahl Arraignment While Clearing Navy SEALs Tied to Torture

Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was arraigned this week on charges related to his disappearance from a U.S. base in Afghanistan in 2009. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban and held for five years, suffering extensive torture. The Taliban freed him last year in exchange for five Guantánamo prisoners. Bergdahl has said he walked off his post in an attempt to reach another U.S. base and report wrongdoing in his unit. Two independent army experts, including the officer who investigated the case, recommended against any jail time. But earlier this month, Army General Robert Abrams rejected their advice and ordered Bergdahl court-martialed on charges of desertion and misbehavior against the enemy. We are joined by Rachel VanLandingham, a former top Army lawyer who says General Abrams bowed to Republican-led political pressure. A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, VanLandingham served as chief legal adviser for international law to U.S. Central Command under Generals Martin Dempsey and David Petraeus. She is now associate professor of law at Southwestern Law School.