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Bergdahl lawyers seek meeting with Trump over statements

Posted at 7:29 AM, Mar 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-06 07:29:38-05

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Attorneys for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have asked Donald Trump for a meeting to determine whether to seek a deposition or call him as a witness at a hearing.

Bergdahl’s attorney, Army Lt. Col. Franklin Rosenblatt, asks the presidential contender in a Saturday-dated letter for an interview to discuss his comments about Bergdahl. The letter sent to Trump’s New York office says the interview could determine whether they’ll seek a deposition or have him as a witness.

Defense attorney Eugene Fidell told The Associated Press via email that Trump’s comments about Bergdahl could affect his right to a fair trial.

Fidell had previously asked publicly that Trump cease making comments about Bergdahl such as Trump’s comment in October that the soldier was a “traitor, a no-good traitor, who should have been executed.”

Bergdahl, who walked off a post in Afghanistan in 2009, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. A summer trial is tentatively scheduled.

Trump’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.