Army Times - Bergdahl's attorney also fought for Army captain in espionage case

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Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has retained a high-profile attorney — the same lawyer who defended Capt. James Yee, a Muslim Army chaplain cleared in an espionage probe a decade ago.

Bergdahl’s lawyer is Eugene Fidell, a Yale Law School scholar, prominent military legal expert and a co-founder and former president of the National Institute of Military Justice.

The Army is investigating the circumstances that led to Bergdahl’s disappearance and capture, probing allegations that Bergdahl walked off his remote post in Afghanistan without authorization before militants seized him. After five years in captivity, Bergdahl was freed May 31 as part of a controversial exchange with the Taliban for five militants who were in detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In an interview with Army Times, Fidell said Wednesday he was “gratified” at having been approached to represent Bergdahl and that he has since met with Bergdahl last week at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Bergdahl has concluded an Army-led reintegration process and this week was assigned a desk job at the headquarters for U.S. Army North.

“This is a soldier who has been through an indescribable ordeal, and we can never lose sight of that,” Fidell said.

Fidell said Bergdahl was, “grateful to the president for having saved his life.” Otherwise, Fidell did not offer his own conclusions about Bergdahl’s condition or state of mind. Nor would Fidell comment on whether he or Bergdahl were in communication with Bergdahl’s family.

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