Attorneys representing Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are seeking to ask potential jurors about their views on President Trump, Stars and Stripes reported on Wednesday.
The questions submitted by Bergdahl’s lawyers aim to establish whether possible jurors would be influenced by comments the president has made about Bergdahl, according to the report.
“The principal issue has to do with ensuring we are able to identify people who have been nominated to be on the court-martial panel — the jury — who are not in a position to render an impartial judgment,” Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl’s attorney, told the newspaper.
{mosads}“Key to that is the whole set of issues surrounding President Trump’s outrageous comments throughout the course of his successful campaign for the White House.”
Trump during his presidential campaign mentioned Bergdahl on multiple occasions, calling him a traitor and saying he should be executed.
Bergdahl is facing a court-martial on charges of desertion for walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.
Bergdahl’s lawyers have sought to get the case thrown out over Trump’s comments. The attorneys filed an appeal to the highest military court in March after the judge overseeing the court-martial refused to throw out the case, according to a March report from Stars and Stripes.