Story highlights Judge would not allow defense to play entire 28-minute video.

Bergdahl visibly uncomfortable, clenching his jaw while the video played.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina (CNN) The defense team of US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl argued Monday he is unable to have a fair trial because of numerous comments made by then-candidate, now President Donald Trump on the 2016 campaign trail.

Shortly after the President's inauguration, Bergdahl's defense attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges after Trump repeatedly called the sergeant a "traitor" during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The defense, led by Eugene Fidell, played pieces of a 28-minute video in which Trump repeatedly refers to Bergdahl as a "traitor." They claim that "Trump's statements are prejudicial to Sergeant Bergdahl's right to a fair trial," according to the motion filed last month. Their main argument was that Trump's comments constituted "unlawful command influence," (UCI) which would make it impossible for Bergdahl to receive a fair trial because the commander in chief has disparaged him multiple times.

Army Judge Col. Jeffery R. Nance would not allow the defense to play all 28 minutes. He asked Fidell to play the points that best made his argument. Fidell requested to play five minutes from the beginning of the video and two from the end.

Bergdahl looked visibly uncomfortable during the several minutes that the video was played. A member of his defense team stood and placed his hand reassuringly to Bergdahl's back twice. That person then sat down and mouthed to someone else on the team, "He's fine."

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