Is this the beginning of yet another scandal for the Obama administration?

On June 30, 2009, U.S. Army Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl went missing in Afghanistan. In the ensuing frantic manhunt over the next 90 days, thousands of troops were pulled from their normal duties and six or more men allegedly died in missions to find him. They never did—he was captured by the Taliban and has since been held prisoner in Afghanistan until just a few days ago when he was released in exchange for five senior Taliban prisoners in a deal brokered by the U.S. government.

Since then, more has come to light about Bergdahl. Several of his platoon mates have confirmed that he walked away from his post on that day in June 2009, intent on deserting. He even left a note saying he no longer supported the American effort in Afghanistan, and had shipped many of his belongings home.

Accusations of collaboration and other traitorous actions have also sparked a firestorm of criticism from his comrades. Some men from his unit claim those close to Bergdahl were asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement after his disappearance, which they say is highly irregular.

Bergdahl was exchanged for five senior Taliban commanders captured in 2001 that were being held in Guantanamo Bay: Mohammad Fazl, Khairullah Khairkhwa, Mullah Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi and Abdul Haq Wasiq. Khairkhwa, one of the top opium drug lords in western Afghanistan, helped found the Taliban and, according to Human Rights Watch, Fazl oversaw the mass killing of Shiites in 2000 and 2001 as the Taliban solidified its control. And yet, according to United States Press Secretary Jay Carney, these prisoners “do not and will not pose a significant threat to the United States.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7NaLYAHixg&feature=youtu.be

The five have been flown to Qatar, where they face security restrictions and are confined to the country for one year.

Bergdahl’s father, Bob Bergdahl, pushed for years to trade Guantanamo prisoners for his son. “We started out by trying to encourage the Taliban to take care of our son,” he said in a 2012 interview. “Now, we’re worried that the government isn’t concerned enough to put him on the (negotiating) table.” In a 2011 video message, he thanked the Taliban for taking care of his son.

But in a tweet last week that was later deleted, Mr. Bergdahl wrote to a spokesman for the Taliban: “I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen!”

We swore and upheld our oath, and he did not. He’s a deserter at best, and a traitor at worst. Cody Full, Bergdahl’s former platoon mate

report by The Sunday Times in 2010 alleged that a captive Bergdahl was training Taliban fighters in bomb-making and ambush skills. One Taliban source said Bergdahl had converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdullah, though he admitted it might be a pretense on Bergdahl’s part to save himself from execution. Other Afghan intelligence officials said they believed Bergdahl was “cooperating with the Taliban.”

Regardless of whether these collaboration charges are true, Bergdahl should be court-martialed for desertion upon his return rather than hailed a hero, says former platoon mate Cody Full. “[T]he fact of the matter is that in the military you sign your name and you take your oath, and you fulfill your orders given to you. You are part of something bigger than yourself,” Full said. “We swore and upheld our oath, and he did not. He’s a deserter at best, and a traitor at worst.”

Yesterday, defense officials said Bergdahl has not been classified as a deserter, but is scheduled for promotion. He was already promoted to sergeant during the time he was being held captive in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the question of Bergdahl’s desertion was “incontrovertible.”

“Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family,” Hagel said this past weekend. “Other circumstances that may develop and questions, those will be dealt with later.”

Nathan Bradley Bethea, an officer in Bergdahl’s unit, responded to the desertion reports in an article for the Daily Beast on Monday. He wrote: “There was no patrol that night. Bergdahl was relieved from guard duty, and instead of going to sleep, he fled the outpost on foot. He deserted. I’ve talked to members of Bergdahl’s platoon—including the last Americans to see him before his capture. I’ve reviewed the relevant documents. That’s what happened.”

He also wrote that eight soldiers from his own unit died trying to track Bergdahl down. One Pentagon official told the Washington Times, “I know for a fact that we lost soldiers looking for him.”

Sources also told the Washington Times that on several occasions, army commanders had intelligence on Bergdahl’s whereabouts but rescue missions were always dismissed with “the conclusion each time … that the prospect of losing highly trained troops was too high a price to pay for rescuing a soldier who walked away from his unit before being captured by the enemy.”

Meanwhile, videos claiming to show the five released prisoners arriving in Qatar display a triumphant party greeting them with no American presence in sight.

Taliban leader Mohammed Omar also issued a message of congratulations: “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation, all the mujahideen and to the families and relatives of the prisoners for this big victory.”

Bergdahl is currently in a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, being evaluated and debriefed by U.S. officials. It is not clear when he will return to the United States.

To see how this illegal prisoner swap will endanger more American lives in the future, watch the video below.