Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009. His unit had circled its armored vehicles along a dry riverbed in the Paktika Province. Bergdahl had been on guard duty at the time of his disappearance. He was captured by the Taliban and held in captivity until last year, when the Obama administration exchanged five Taliban officers for Bergdahl’s release. Now, Bergdahl is being charged with desertion.

I was initially surprised at the amount of anger people had at Bergdahl’s release. It seemed to me that he deserved a chance to defend himself. I believe the presumption of innocence and jury trial are among our most sacred rights, so I attempted to remain skeptical of the desertion allegations until we heard Bergdahl’s side of the story, and now we have it.

His lawyer claims that he left his post in an attempt to reach the nearest American base to report problems. Even if it’s true that he walked off his post to report problems, it doesn’t negate misconduct. A soldier abandoning his post is still a crime. Even more revolting is the fact that he abandoned his platoon in hostile country where every rifle might be needed.

If he is found guilty of desertion, the Bergdahl trade will be the most horrendous piece of negotiating in recent history. This is quickly becoming a tremendous scandal and an embarrassment for the Obama White House. The controversy is made even worse by the absurd trumpeting of praise Bergdahl was given shortly after his release.

Many of the problems that are blamed on Obama really originate among his staff and advisors. Obama isn’t stupid, but he seems to surround himself with people who are more comfortable sipping lattes than negotiating deals on Capitol Hill. Notable examples are Victoria “F— the EU” Nuland, Jonathan Gruber and Lois Lerner.

Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, said Bergdahl served his country with “honor and distinction.” Rice is famous for blaming the massacre of our consulate in Benghazi on a YouTube video. Rice was never in the military, Secret Service, NSA, or CIA, and always seems to put her foot in her mouth. The only bureaucrat in the entire world more useless than Rice is Obama’s former National Security Council spokesman, Tommy “The Dude” Vietor.

Bergdahl is not claiming that he didn’t walk off. He’s claiming that there was misconduct at his post that he needed to report. Sadly for Bergdahl, the testimonies of his platoon mates are damning.

Six of Bergdahl’s former comrades say they believe he deserted. It’s truly appalling that the administration went ahead with the prisoner swap knowing that Bergdahl was likely a deserter. The people advising Obama to make the trade must have known of the military reports. There have even been claims that soldiers died on search and rescue missions for Bergdahl.

The administration states that the five Taliban officers are under house arrest in Qatar. Are we really to believe that these men won’t rejoin the fight at the first opportunity? The Taliban wouldn’t have made the trade if they thought their side was getting a bad deal.

The five terrorists were being held at Guantanamo Bay — that famous prison Obama promised to close the moment he became president. It has been speculated that Obama desperately wanted to empty the cells of “Gitmo” and he found his opportunity in the Bergdahl trade.

The last thing the administration could want is a drawn-out desertion trial. The country will be reminded of the mishandlings and mistakes every day of the proceedings.

Men like my father waded through the gore of Vietnam only to have Jimmy Carter pardon the draft dodging cowards for their treason. Carter’s pardoning of the shirkers and cowards still remains one of the most disgusting abuses of presidential authority in the long catalog of such abuses. Could Obama pardon Bergdahl in one last spasm of childishness? I wouldn’t rule it out.