Jake Tapper Reports: Army Concluded Bergdahl ‘Left His Outpost Deliberately’

Since Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was swapped for five ranking Taliban figures, a variety of reports have surfaced calling into question White House officials’ claims that the former captive served with distinction. CNN host Jake Tapper interviewed two soldiers who served alongside Bergdahl who asserted unequivocally that he deserted his post. According to a military source who spoke with Tapper on the condition of anonymity, the U.S. Army reached that same conclusion shortly after Bergdahl’s disappearance.

While the troops who spoke with Tapper on his program, The Lead, also maintain that Bergdahl intentionally sought out the Taliban, military officials could not confirm that. “CNN has spoken to several military officials who said they have no information to confirm that when he disappeared he was seeking out the Taliban,” Tapper wrote.

However, he said that at least one military official did indicate that defense officials were aware that it was Bergdahl’s intention to desert.

RELATED: Bergdahl Squad Leader: Taliban Attacks Got ‘More Direct’ After Bergdahl ‘Deserted’

“An Army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after Bergdahl’s 2009 disappearance concluded that he left his outpost deliberately and on his own free will, according to a U.S. military official briefed on the report,” Tapper’s Thursday report continued. “The official spoke to CNN on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.”

Read the full report via CNN.com

[Image via Gary Cameron / Reuters]

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