A judge Thursday rejected a request from lawyers for accused Army deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to ask prospective jurors in his court-martial if they voted for President Donald Trump, Stars and Stripes reported.
The judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, told the defense team polling the jury pool on how they voted would be inappropriate to include in an approximate 40-question survey that will be handed out next week.
"I believe it is prohibited by [court] rules," Nance said at a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, where the former Taliban captive appeared for a second consecutive day, Stars and Stripes reported.
Nance did agree with the lawyers' request to ask potential jurors about their impresssions of Trump, including his trustworthiness. He also allowed the defense to ask if potential jurors were familiar with Trump's negative comments about Bergdahl on the campaign trail.
Bergdahl faces a court-martial in October on charges he deserted his combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009 and endangered his unit through misbehavior. The more serious misbehavior charge carries a potential life sentence.
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