{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/no-presidential-pardon-bowe-bergdahl", "No Presidential Pardon for Bowe Bergdahl", "2016-12-06", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Vern Buchanan", "B001260", "buchanan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Buchanan Tells Obama to Reject Pardon Request\nWASHINGTON \u2013\u00a0Congressman Vern Buchanan today urged President Obama to reject Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl\u2019s request for a presidential pardon, saying the search for Bergdahl may have led to the deaths of several American soldiers.Bergdahl\u2019s lawyers recently filed documents with the White House, the Justice Department and the Pentagon requesting a pardon, according to the New York Times.\u00a0\u201cIt has been seven years since Sgt. Bergdahl chose to abandon his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan during a time of war,\u201d Buchanan said. \u201cHe should be court-martialed and held accountable.\u201dFormer members of Bergdahl\u2019s platoon have publicly expressed concerns about Bergdahl since his return, characterizing him as a deserter who put American lives at risk. One of his fellow soldiers, Sgt. Matt Vierkant, has called for Bergdahl to face military trial for desertion and even said that \u201chis fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him.\u201dBergdahl is facing charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy that endangered fellow soldiers.\u00a0 He was captured by the Taliban in 2009 after walking off his post in Afghanistan, sparking a massive man-hunt conducted by the military over the five-year period. During this time it was\u00a0reported that as many as six American soldiers may have died as a direct result of the search for Bergdahl.Soldiers in his platoon have also claimed that anti-U.S. attacks in the region seemed to increase in the days and weeks following Bergdahl\u2019s disappearance.\u00a0A pardon would allow Bergdahl to escape his court-martial, which is scheduled to begin April 18, 2017. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.\u00a0Eugene R. Fidell, Bergdahl\u2019s defense lawyer, said if his case is still pending on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, he will file a motion to have it dismissed, arguing that a \u201cfair military trial will be impossible after Mr. Trump becomes the commander in chief,\u201d according to the New York Times.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/no-presidential-pardon-bowe-bergdahl"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6001719050109386, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}