Former POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl turned down the chance to talk to his family over the phone after being released in a widely criticized trade for five dangerous Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo Bay.
Bergdahl, who has been undergoing treatment at an Army hospital in Germany since he was freed on May 31, was given permission to call home but has so far chosen not to, according to reports Sunday.
The Army sergeant, who has been accused of being a deserter, has been deemed in “good enough physical condition to allow him to return to the United States” but is “not ready psychologically or emotionally,” according to NBC News.
Bergdahl, 28, is probably unaware of the raging controversy over his release, The Wall Street Journal said. A US official familiar with his treatment told the paper that doctors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center are moving slowly due to the backlash against the deal and allegations Bergdahl was captured after deserting his Army outpost.
Bergdahl has said he was repeatedly tortured by his captors and imprisoned in a metal cage after trying to escape, The New York Times reported on Saturday. He also said he was repeatedly moved during his nearly five years in captivity and was traded among various groups of Islamic militants, the report said.
US Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) blasted the Obama administration on Sunday for its wavering on why Congress was kept in the dark about the plan to spring the Gitmo 5. He said “no intelligence supported” the initial explanation that officials needed to act fast because Bergdahl’s health was dire.
“And now, they come back and, because he is in decent health, considering where he’s been, they’ve changed their story,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“They said, ‘Well, no, we suspected his life might be in danger if word got out of this pending possible trade, then his life may be in danger.’ Again, I can just tell you there is no intelligence to support that . . . The whole scenario surrounding this is very, very strange.”
Meanwhile, the FBI confirmed that it’s investigating threats against Bergdahl’s parents — including his father, Bob, who grew an Afghan-style beard and learned to speak Pashto after his son fell into enemy hands.