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CNN TONIGHT

Bowe Bergdahl Controversy

Aired June 4, 2014 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.

Every picture tells a story, but what story do these pictures tell, a haggard man in traditional Taliban clothes surrounded by Taliban -- armed Taliban fighters? A Black Hawk helicopter lands. The man is led to the chopper, given a quick pat-down and whisked away. Today, the tale of the tape and what it tells us about Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Was he near death? Had he become disillusioned with the Army? And did his disappearance cost American lives? Our team of experts separates fact from fiction.

Plus, if you were writing the Hollywood version of this story, is this the way you would write it? Who better to ask than an executive producer of the TV show "Homeland," who also created the Israeli series that inspired it. Gideon Raff joins me exclusively tonight.

And we want to know what you think. Make sure you tweet us using #AskDon.

But, first, I want to give you my take on the unfolding controversy over the release of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. We saw his actual release for ourselves today, Bergdahl, pale, gaunt, squinting, possibly to adjust his eyes to the daylight, the picture of five years in captivity.

The video, obviously meant to be propaganda, a propaganda tool for Bergdahl's captor,s will hopefully shift the focus back to what is really important here, a soldier's life saved. And that video and the 70th anniversary of D-Day just two days away got me to thinking about brothers in arms, about how the greatest generation conducted themselves on the battlefield, but, more importantly, what they did once they returned home, if they were lucky enough to return home.

There's been a lot said about Sergeant Bergdahl, even from some of the men who served alongside them. And, as I said last night, they have every right to speak out. In fact, they fought for it, and maybe they are right.

But the official evidence doesn't show that just yet. And Bowe Bergdahl can't yet speak for himself. His father says he's having trouble speaking English. The greatest generation created the no man left behind mantra, but to them it wasn't just a mantra. They lived by those words.

It made me wonder what they think of criticizing a fellow soldier before he even had time to explain himself, before the official evidence was even in.

You should know, one of the men who helped coordinate media interviews with some of those soldiers is here. We are going to ask him why that and we're going to ask him why it appears he and others are choosing to politicize the capture and release of a member of the U.S. military member.

Well, let's get right to that Taliban tape and what it tells us about Bowe Bergdahl.

Tom Foreman has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, the video handover takes only minutes, but it is packed with information about Bergdahl, the Taliban, and American Special Forces, many more details, frankly, than we have had from the White House.

For starters, it's a scene-setter. You see 18 Taliban fighters with arms spread across the hillsides here in an area identified on tape as Eastern Afghanistan, the Khost province, where the Taliban has long been very powerful. Their faces have been covered as they wait for this American Black Hawk helicopter.

Bergdahl is sitting in a truck, his head shaved, his uniform long gone, and despite White House concerns about his health, there are no visible signs of any injury here. He blinks over and over again. At one time, he smiles briefly. It seems as if maybe he's not used to bright lights or maybe, maybe he's just very nervous or under a lot of stress.

That would make sense because one of his captors tells him in here, don't come back. You won't get out alive again.

The exchange itself is remarkable. For one thing, we see the American troops used for this type of thing, undoubtedly Special Forces, folks who we never see in action. They shake hands with their sworn enemy. One of them over here, you will notice, briefly puts his hand to a chest in a sign of respect, but then they quickly move to get Bergdahl to the helicopter here.

Look at this one. He touches him in the middle of the back here both to guide him and to check for any explosives, anything hidden there, and then away they go while keeping a very close eye on the Taliban. At the helicopter, a much more thorough frisking happens here.

Bergdahl was carrying a plastic bag, which he's forced to drop, then quickly on to the helicopter, all the while keeping an eye on the Taliban. This happens fast and then away they go. There is so much detail in here, you have to wonder, why would the Taliban give this over so that it could be studied by intelligence analysts here?

Because it shows their followers that they are on equal terms with the vaunted American military and it suggests, even at the end of this long war, they can force the Americans to strike a deal on the field of battle. That is a power position and they clearly like it -- Don.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Tom Foreman, thank you very much.

Joining me now is Brad Thor. He's the author of "Act of War." Joe Reeder is with me as well, the former undersecretary of the Army. Josh Korder is a former U.S. Army sergeant who served with Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan, and former JAG attorney Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Corn.

I'm glad to have all of you here tonight.

And for members of the military, thank you for your service. I will say that straight off.

So, Josh, I want to begin with you. And I want to be transparent, because you say you're speaking on your own accord, and not as part of any political opposition. But you were there with Bowe Bergdahl the night he went missing. How does he look to you on this tape and what jumped out to you?

JOSH KORDER, FORMER U.S. ARMY SERGEANT: Well, I mean, yes, you guys did mention that he looked pale, which is a little bit counter of what I was thinking that he might be getting regular sunlight.

But, however, his amount of malnourishment is not that much dissimilar from any other soldier coming back from combat. He was being fed and he was being taken care of and you notice he wasn't bruised and battered. He didn't have any scars on his face or anything like that.

LEMON: Yes. Well, all we can see was really on his face. We don't know what is under there, but presumably from everyone who has examined this, that he's in good condition and what's been said about him since.

Do you ever remember him having these sort of ticks or blinking like that before?

KORDER: I'm not exactly sure.

I mean, he always seemed to be a pretty -- a normal guy as far as his gestures and the way he was looking. So maybe it was the bright sunlight. In a way, though, he looked sad to me. And maybe he smiled because there was some kind of surreptitious thing that one of the people was telling him.

LEMON: So, Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Corn, let's break down this video even more. First, obviously, it is daylight. Are you surprised that this operation was even conducted in daylight?

LT. COL. GEOFFREY CORN (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Well, first, let me say I'm a former military lawyer. I don't hold myself out as an expert on prisoner exchanges or special operations.

But it seems to me -- and I do have some background as an intelligence officer -- if you're going to do a parlay with your enemy, you want to do it in a situation that minimizes anxiety and minimizes the risk that somebody might get nervous and make a mistake that leads to a conflagration.

And obviously doing it in daylight reduces the risk of uncertainty and makes things more transparent for both sides. So, no, I'm not surprised they did it in daylight.

LEMON: And it was quick. They got out of there fast, Joe Reeder.

We saw handshakes and one American soldier touches his chest in a sign of respect. What type of units are qualified to handle this type of prisoner trade? And what would their support have been?

JOE REEDER, FORMER UNDERSECRETARY OF THE ARMY: Don, I think, you know, I was in the 82nd. I think any of my troopers probably could have done that.

But we would have used probably special ops folks to handle that. And all of those signs of respect and everything, the mission is to get out of there quickly, respectfully, and without any ceremony or excitement. And it looked like that is what happened.

LEMON: Brad Thor, to you now. It's unusual to see the Taliban and U.S. soldiers together in any capacity. But isn't it just the fact that if you're going to negotiate a prisoner exchange, you're not going to be dealing with your friends, and, as we said, you're going to get out of their fast and you're not going to try to talk for a long time?

BRAD THOR, AUTHOR, "ACT OF WAR": Right.

And so, first off, the reason he was blinking is because he had a bag on his head until they got him to the spot and decided to roll the video camera. That's easy. OK? He was blinking because he had a bag on his head. They rolled him there. They didn't want him to see where he was, didn't want him to get jumpy, maybe make a move that could screw things up.

So, at the last minute, bag comes off the head.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: That was my assessment, that he had been somehow -- they had a blindfold or something on him so that he would not know where he was to give the information to the U.S. But continue on.

(CROSSTALK)

THOR: And when you see the man doing this across his chest, this is something that you see all the time in Afghanistan.

This is an experienced operator who has dealt with Afghanis -- Afghan people before, and this is salaam. This is -- not that he's saying, I want peace, but it's a common greeting. You get used to doing it. You almost don't know you're doing it, so it's more of a reflex. So, that's likely what you saw with that.

LEMON: Geoffrey Corn, let's talk about that number, the number 41 that appears to be painted on the side of the helicopter. See the paint? Or it's tape. Is that a random number or what is the significance of that number?

CORN: Well, I don't know.

It could just be a normal marking. It could also be that, as part of the negotiation with the Taliban, there was an agreement that the aircraft that would be coming to collect the prisoner would have a designated marking, and that was the number that was decided upon.

I don't know that we know why that number was on there. But that's certainly a plausible explanation.

LEMON: Anyone here on the panel now why that number is there? That's a no.

So, Josh, listen, is there any danger? Most people thought they probably would never see the release of Sergeant Bergdahl. Is there a danger to U.S. troops to release a tape like this?

KORDER: No, I don't see why there would be a danger to U.S. troops. Maybe they can use it as some type of a propaganda tape to try to try everyone around them to say, hey, we stand with the Americans, like you were saying, on equal footing. But other than using it as like a propaganda tape, I don't see how it poses any immediate danger or any danger at all.

LEMON: Can I ask you, Josh -- because in my commentary, I talked about some of the young men who are coming out who have every right -- they fought for the right to speak on this subject.

Why did you come forward to speak?

KORDER: Well, I saw on TV, you know, Bergdahl's parents standing next to the president, and I just thought about my battle buddies whose families did not get their, you know, soldiers back to them.

And I know for a fact that, you know, he walked away of his own fruition. So, why not speak out? Why not be angry that he was getting that kind of hero exposure? I feel like my mission is complete now. And I'm going to wait until there's big further developments, until maybe there's a trial or something like that. I'm not going to be talking about it too much more.

LEMON: All right, all right, thank you, gentlemen. Stay with me.

When we come right back here, I want to talk about what happened to Bowe Bergdahl in captivity, a little bit more about that.

And I want to know what you think the Taliban got the better deal, better part of this deal, if they did, also if you think this whole thing seems like the plot of "Homeland," the TV show "Homeland," you're absolutely right. I'm going to talk exclusively to one of the show's executive producers.

And the not-at-all-smart thing that Vladimir Putin said about Hillary Clinton. Mr. Putin, you might want to watch your words. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today it's unfair to Sergeant Bergdahl to make any presumptions about why he left his base five years ago until a comprehensive review is conducted.

But so many questions still remain.

Back with me now is Brad Thor, Joe Reeder, Josh Korder, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Corn.

Brad, can we talk a little bit about -- we keep talking about the Taliban in Afghanistan, but it's really, you say, who?

THOR: It's the Haqqani Network. The Haqqanis are the ones that always had him.

So, you need to -- your viewers need to know Afghan Taliban is one thing, but the Haqqani terror network is another. And the Haqqanis are like 80 percent Soprano, 20 percent al Qaeda. And the fact is, the Afghan Taliban got these detainees back, but we need to ask, what did the Haqqanis get? They are the ones that gave up Bowe Bergdahl. They got something.

And the White House has not told us what the Haqqanis got for this prisoner -- for this -- for giving up Bergdahl. We know what the Taliban got, but we don't know what the Haqqanis got. And that's important.

LEMON: And, Josh, part of your mission too was -- go ahead. Go ahead, Josh.

(CROSSTALK)

KORDER: I was going to say that my theory on that is, I had read some stuff while I was in Afghanistan the last time I did some intelligence work, and it seemed like the Taliban and the other groups -- there's many different terrorist groups over there.

Afghanistan has always been a warlord state. And there may have been some kind of an arrangement where now the Haqqanis are going to get a bigger piece of Afghanistan when they take it back over when the Americans leave, if that's what their plan is.

LEMON: Hey, Brad, I understand you have been speaking to some of your sources. What did they tell you about Bergdahl's -- how he disappeared and his time in captivity?

THOR: Well, we have -- there's all of these stories going around.

"Washington Post" got a story out right now that confirms the story that wrote for The Blaze that there was -- when he got picked up by the Haqqanis, they looked onto him, that he (INAUDIBLE) the Pashtun word for inebriated.

And that's backed up in "The Washington Post" with some villagers they interviewed. So, there's this idea that he was under the influence, stumbling around out there. But the captivity thing, I can tell you, the only intelligence reports that I know of about his health came in those first six months, where he went through kind of dysentery stomach stuff, some upper respiratory things that people go through when it's a complete shift in diet and maybe it's cold and damp, that sort of a thing where he's being kept.

So, I saw a guy that got off a helicopter. And, granted, it's springtime. I don't expect this guy to be dark, suntanned. I didn't see a guy who looked too terribly bad. So they have had him for four days now. I want to hear what the preliminary physician's reports are. What is so sick about this guy that we had to move like that? We should get that now.

LEMON: Joe, you want to get in on this?

REEDER: Well, no, I think it's a whole lot that we have got, that is going to unfold here with regard to his health.

I think there's an awful lot of speculation here pouring out. Hey, Don, it says, "Don', come back." I don't know if that's you or what or it's just a misspelling don't come back.

There's a lot of interesting stuff here. But I don't think that you're now going to see the Army in operation. You're going to see how they handle folks that have to answer the music.

I'm very concerned about some of the comments. We hear Sergeant Korder. He is a firsthand witness to some things. And I'm concerned about some of the behavior. But I think it's very important that we not prejudge at this stage and let the Army process work its way through and when -- when Bowe gets back to good health.

LEMON: Hey, Geoffrey, can I -- want to read you a quote and this is from Newt Gingrich today, what he wrote about this trade.

He said: "The release of five senior enemy commanders is a defeat of the first order. Taliban leader Mullah Omar declared the swap a great victory. The Taliban got everything it asked for. The swap was a surrender, not a negotiation."

We know this deal was opposed in the past by many officials, including Hillary Clinton. Why is it now so important to negotiate and build trust with the Taliban? Is that misguided?

CORN: Well, first off, I think Newt Gingrich is entitled to his opinion. But he's not the commander in chief of the armed forces.

The Constitution vests the president with the responsibility of being what the founding fathers called the top general. And, in war, commanders make very difficult strategic and operational decisions. And a decision to conduct a prisoner exchange is certainly one of those decisions.

It's not historically unprecedented, and you're never going to get everything you want. We don't know what the background intelligence was. We don't know the information that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was receiving and feeding to the president through the National Security Council and that...

LEMON: You're concerned about a rush to judgment, right?

CORN: I think that's a major concern.

And listen, this is an opportunity for us to let the Army allow the investigatory, the intelligence and military justice system to work its proper function. I have tremendous...

THOR: but that's two different things, though. You have got to admit, a prisoner exchange, it's not even over, over there. The guy was a hostage. And we didn't even get a cease-fire out of this. We didn't even get a cease-fire.

(CROSSTALK)

CORN: Prisoner exchanges have happened since the American Revolution.

There's nothing unprecedented about them. I'm not saying that everybody has to agree that the balance was the right balance. But this is the responsibility of the commander in chief, acting with the advice of his senior military and intelligence advisers. That's his function.

THOR: But that's not what we have heard. We have heard that he was shoving military and intelligence people out of the circle and putting yes men around him and he was trying to isolate to bring people to one decision, which was shut up and salute. So, think the president deserves criticism on this.

(CROSSTALK)

CORN: Well, that's fine. And it may turn out that he does deserve criticism.

I personally doubt that the military leadership, the integrity and the quality of our leaders would allow themselves to be marginalized to that extent. If that comes out, then that's an issue that the people need to know.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I want to get Josh -- I want to get Josh and Joe in there.

I understand you said at this point we need to let the military process play out and to see what happens once they do question him.

But, Josh -- Joe, first, I want to get what you think, because Brad said, we have heard, we have heard that he put yes people, but what there -- what is the evidence? REEDER: I don't know who Brad is listening to, but he's listening to different people than I am. I haven't heard that.

And I have a lot of respect for Marty Dempsey, the commander -- the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the chief staff of the Army. And they are not going to stand by on a decision like that. This is the last prisoner, Don, in a campaign where we're going to shut down, and we have been doing this.

The Israelis swapped 1,000 Palestinians for one Israeli soldier, and I think our soldier is every bit worth five Taliban.

LEMON: Josh, I want to end with you because you speak...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I so disagree.

LEMON: I understand that. But we don't have that much time, and I want to get Josh in on this.

Josh, you know, you know. You have been there. And the secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel, called Bergdahl's parents today and told them that the Department of Defense's focus is going to be on their son's health.

How would you like to see this handled from this point on? What would you like to see happen?

KORDER: Well, I completely agree about not making a rush to judgment.

That's why I came to speak out, because the rush to judgment initially was that this American hero is returning back to the people. And I think that in the same way that we shouldn't go in and judge and condemn him, the same way, we shouldn't go in and put him upon a pedestal.

I do and I have been saying that an investigation needs to be conducted, and if it -- I never said punish him, but I did say that if a punishment is put forth, that he needs to accept it like a man and take it.

LEMON: I think that's very well put.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I know that you guys disagree and you have more, but I'm sorry. I don't have all the time in the world, unfortunately. We only have an hour here.

Thank you, Brad Thor. Thank you, Joe Reeder. Thank you, Josh Korder and also Mr. Corn, Lieutenant Geoffrey Corn. We will have you back, as a matter of fact. I will make sure we get you back on, Lieutenant Colonel Corn.

CORN: Thank you. LEMON: Next, the facts and the fiction in what is being said about Sergeant Bergdahl and the parallels to "Homeland" -- my exclusive with one of the executive producers who served in the Israeli Army.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has been held captive for the last five years, and most of what we learned about him today comes from an unlikely source, the Taliban.

But we still have a lot of unanswered questions.

Dan Simon helps us separate fact from fiction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Question number one, Bowe Bergdahl's health, serious decline or, worse, near death? Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel:

CHUCK HAGEL, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We had information that his health could be deteriorating rapidly. There was a question about his safety.

SIMON: The truth, it's hard to say. He certainly had the strength to get on that Black Hawk helicopter, but appears sensitive to the light. Bergdahl is undergoing treatment at a U.S. Army Medical Center in Germany. He's said to be in stable condition.

Question number two, did he leave a note behind? "The New York Times" says yes. Citing a former senior military officer, Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying that he had been disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan, and was leaving to start a new life. However, CNN has not been able to verify this.

And, in fact, platoon and squad members have said they have never heard of this alleged note. Question number three, did his disappearance cost American lives? The military has not confirmed that lives were lost. But CNN is reporting that at least six soldiers were killed in a subsequent search for Bergdahl. That's according to soldiers involved in operations to find him.

EVAN BUETOW, FORMER U.S. ARMY SERGEANT: He just walked away.

SIMON: Sergeant Evan Buetow, who led Bergdahl's team in Afghanistan, says it may be difficult to prove, but that Bergdahl's capture forced a major realignment of troops.

BUETOW: I believe the fact of the matter is, when those soldiers were killed, they would not have been where they were at if Bergdahl had not have left. Bergdahl leaving changed the mission.

SIMON: Question number four, did the president break the law? Congress, after all, is supposed to be notified before the release of any Guantanamo prisoners. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin:

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Oh, I think he clearly broke the law. The law says 30 days' notice. He didn't give 30 days' notice.

SIMON: Even Obama allies are incensed.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: It comes with some surprise and dismay that the transfers went ahead with no consultation, totally not following the law.

SIMON: The president, of course, disputes this.

BOB BERGDAHL, FATHER OF BOWE BERGDAHL: I am the father of captured U.S. soldier Bowe Robert Bergdahl.

SIMON: And then there's Bergdahl's father, who some have criticized for taking on the appearance of a Taliban member, which leads to question number five: Did he send this tweet directed to a Taliban spokesman? "I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child."

The Bergdahl family has declined to comment on the tweet, and it was deleted shortly after it was posted. And CNN has no way of independently confirming the authenticity.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It turns out, he's one of ours.

SIMON: It's a story with so many subplots that no wonder many are comparing Bergdahl to Brody, the freed American hostage on Showtime's "Homeland."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an American.

SIMON: This drama, however, is far from over.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Appreciate that, Dan Simon.

All those unanswered questions have turned Bowe Bergdahl's story into a political football, and my next guests know quite a lot about that. Joining me now is Lanny Davis. He's the author of "Crisis Tales: Five Rules for Coping with Crisis in Business, Politics and Life." He's also the former White House special counsel for the Clinton administration.

Brad Chase is here with me of Capitol Media Partners. He has been helping some soldiers who served with Bergdahl to go public with their criticism.

Gentlemen, thank you for joining me. Brad, I'm going to begin with you. Your firm is giving media assistance to, I think it's seven members of Bergdahl's platoon who have spoken out. There are some accusations there -- out there that many of these critiques surrounding Bergdahl and his reasons for leaving the base are part of a coordinated Republican effort to attack the White House. Is there any truth to that?

BRAD CHASE, CAPITOL MEDIA PARTNERS: There's absolutely no truth to that claim. It's almost bizarre that I've been branded as a GOP strategist, despite the fact that I have never once been a member of the Republican Party. It's easy to try and go after me.

But I'll tell you, I have voted in the presidential tickets over the years for candidates from both sides.

LEMON: OK. But here's the question, though, that your partner at your firm, Rick Grenell, is a Republican strategist, a former aide to Mitt Romney. How is that not a part of some agenda?

CHASE: He's not running this. These guys were yelling out on Twitter, begging for somebody to listen to their story. For five years, they've held this in. It's been haunting them. That man walked out on them five years ago, but he's been in their lives every day.

So they reached out. Rick was the first one to find it. He did help a little bit facilitating the first couple things to get this thing started. But you can ask hundreds, thousands of -- I'm sorry, hundreds of reporters, I've been their primary contact. I'm the one that's helping these soldiers.

LEMON: This story has been reported, especially about him being a potential deserter for years now by a number of different organizations. It's nothing new. But since he has been released, it has become an issue. Are you saying that they reached specifically out to Rick Grenell?

CHASE: They were reaching out to a number of people. Cody Full, one of the soldiers who was brave enough to speak out after holding this in for so long, was putting things all over Twitter and was reaching out to notable names. Rick is a notable name. Yes, he's a Republican, but he was just the first one to recognized that this is a story that needs to be told. He passed it over to me. He said, "Brad, everyone else at Capitol Media Partners, this looks like an interesting story. Would you be interested in working with these guys?"

LEMON: Yes. It does seem -- you have to -- it is suspect, though, you have to admit, that they would reach out to a Republican strategist and then, you know, your reply is that it's not part of a Republican effort.

CHASE: So -- so are you implying that I am a closet Republican?

LEMON: No, I'm not talking about you. I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about your firm, and I'm talking about Rick Grenell.

CHASE: I'm running this, so can you explain to me how... LEMON: You said they reached out to Mr. Grenell. That's why...

CHASE: They reached out to him.

LEMON: Right.

CHASE: They reached out to a number of...

LEMON: Who is a Republican strategist.

CHASE: He was recently named by Times Warner as the 140 most -- best Twitter feeds of the year, along with people like Bill Clinton. He's a notable name.

LEMON: OK.

CHASE: He's very public.

LEMON: Lanny, what do you make of this?

LANNY DAVIS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: Well, first of all, I don't quite care about the political motives or political affiliations. I care about a president who I support. Not fully explaining this decision.

So as a crisis manager, there are three things that bother me with the handling of the decision, and I need to disclose fully I'm a Democrat who supports Barack Obama.

First, I don't think the president addressed the major elephant in the room about the issue of desertion and whether he's going to face military justice and evaluating whether it's true or not; haven't passed judgment. The president should have addressed that up front.

Secondly, the president should have told us more about the conditions to restrain and keep away from civilized people these murderers that have been released and are now in Qatar. What are the conditions of their detention? Are they allowed to go back to Afghan and kill more people? They're terrorists and they're murderers. The president hasn't told us that.

And thirdly, he hasn't explained why he did not consult with Dianne Feinstein and Republican senior members of both intelligence committees. If he's afraid of a leak, is he going to tell Senator Feinstein that? Is he going to tell the American people that he couldn't consult with Congress because he was worried about a leak? If that's the case, tell us.

So those three issues, he hasn't explained himself very well as a matter of crisis management. That's just not good.

LEMON: And even you didn't mention the ceremony in the Rose Garden that many people are taking offense to. They think it made Bowe Bergdahl out to be a hero when he possibly may not be one -- Lanny.

DAVIS: I don't mind the selection of the Rose Garden to celebrate the return of an American in battle and not leaving Americans behind if we can retrieve them, even if we have to trade for them. The Israelis have traded for...

LEMON: I understand where you're going, but part of that is the optics behind this.

DAVIS: The optics are not good.

LEMON: Right. If the president had some out and said, "Listen, there's some question about this guy but we don't leave a man behind, so..."

DAVIS: Exactly. That's my point. And you're exactly right. I don't mind if he says that in the Rose Garden or anywhere else. But he's got to, right up front, to get in front of the things that are bothering people, the three things I just mentioned and I'm a supporter of...

LEMON: Lanny, I've got to take a break. Please stay with me, because coming up here on CNN the White House is clearly on the defensive tonight over both Bergdahl as the political firestorm heats up.

And later, something else the president might be sweating over. I want you to take a look at the commander in chief's workout video. This is interesting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: On the surface it seems simple, a U.S. soldier held captive is brought home. But this hasn't exactly been a celebration. More like a political firestorm.

I'm back now with Lanny Davis and also Brad Chase. I want you guys to listen to this, because earlier this evening I spoke to Pam Morris, the publisher of Bowe Bergdahl's hometown paper, the "Idaho Mountain Express." And I asked her about the local reaction to the controversy swirling about the circumstances of his release. Here's what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM MORRIS, PUBLISHER, "IDAHO MOUNTAIN EXPRESS": We've been aware at the newspaper for a long, long time that there was a subterranean drumbeat about the circumstances of Bowe Bergdahl's captivity, how manner in which he was captured, the manner in which he left his base.

We have no evidence. We are reporters. We are reporters like every other good journalist in this country, and we wait until the facts are in. We do not believe that people should be tried by sound bite nor in the social media in which there is no accountability.

This is a military matter. This is a matter for serious consideration, and we believe all the facts should be gathered before we indulge in character assassination, very frankly.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Brad Chase, you care to respond to that?

CHASE: And what do you propose as an alternative? These soldiers remain silent?

LEMON: You'd have to ask her that question.

CHASE: I'm asking you. You've already insinuated that there's some sort of manipulation going on here. You've questioned my credibility.

LEMON: No, I didn't question your credibility. I just asked -- was questioning your motivation and the motivation of someone you work with.

Listen, I think that these soldiers have every right to speak out. But what I've been saying is that everyone involved here, including the White House, should not rush to judgment and should not politicize it. When I spoke to -- hang on. Hang on if you're going to question me. When I spoke to Lanny about the presentation in the Rose Garden, to me, that was politicizing the situation by the White House.

And when I hear other people, like Rick Grenell and you guys, who may be coordinating some sort of effort, to me, that seems like politicizing it. I'm not questioning the guys. I'm questioning your motivation.

CHASE: What I'll tell you is that my personal belief is that it's being politicized on both sides. I think both sides are equally guilty. I think there are extremists on the left and the right wing that are using specific facts and sound bites to justify their own agenda.

LEMON: And on the right?

CHASE: I just said both.

LEMON: But you gave an example of the left. What's the example on the right?

CHASE: Well, on the right, they are going after Obama without having gotten a full explanation.

LEMON: OK.

So Lanny, here's what Senator Kelly Ayotte wrote in a May 22 press release that the Defense Department should do. Said it can -- all it can do to -- is find Bowe Bergdahl and bring him home safely.

Then on June 22 [SIC] she reportedly said that the trade sets "a precedent that could encourage our enemies to capture more Americans in order to gain concessions from our government."

She isn't the only Republican to shift views. So why all this criticism now, do you think?

DAVIS: Well, again, I hate to question motives. I can only tell you that Senator Ayotte's been consistently wrong on the facts regarding Benghazi, and she's rushing to judgment here.

And this reporter said it exactly right. I don't understand why my colleague didn't just immediately say, "That reporter has it right." We all have to wait for the facts to come in.

My suggestion to the president is you could have done a better job of saying, these issues must be addressed by our military. This was not an easy decision because there are questions that need to be answered. And then let the facts come home and speak for themselves. Not only about the circumstances of his departure, but the conditions about the people going to Qatar.

Nothing has been told to me by the president that I support that I should be safe knowing that the Qataris will keep these people away from American soldiers. These are terrorists. These are murderers. These are thugs. Yet, the president hasn't reassured me that the conditions in Qatar are going to be to keep them constrained, if not away from the battlefield.

LEMON: I've got...

DAVIS: So I think she's got it right. We can't rush to judgment.

LEMON: I've got to go. Thank you very much, Lanny Davis.

Thank you, Brad Chase. I appreciate that.

When we come right back, the executive producer of "Homeland," what he thinks of the stranger-than-fiction story of Bowe Bergdahl's release.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Bowe Bergdahl's Idaho hometown has canceled a celebration of his return. They say they just couldn't support such a large event. Contrast that with the return of the fictional Sergeant Nicholas Brody on Showtime's "Homeland."

Gideon Raff is an executive producer of "Homeland" and the creator of the Israeli series, "Prisoners of War" and he joins me exclusively via Skype.

Thank you so much for joining us. There's been -- people have talked about the similarities here. Do you see similarities between Bowe Bergdahl's release and your character, Sergeant Nicholas Brody, in "Homeland"?

GIDEON RAFF, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "HOMELAND": There are similarities in the way -- you know, a prisoner of war coming back home. And the reaction to him, a broken man coming back home, and whether he's going to get a hero's welcome or court-martialed. And the question whether he's been turned or not, of course, is on the news every day. So I do think people do see similarities, yes.

LEMON: You also created Israel's highest rated drama, "Prisoners of War," which inspired "Homeland." In the first episode, a prisoner of war is released. Were you surprised at the parallels between that and Bergdahl's release, as you watched that video -- I don't know if you've seen it, but I'm sure it's all over the world. Everyone is watching it. Were you surprised by the similarities?

RAFF: Not so much. No, I've done -- I've done extensive research on prisoners of war. There are about 1,500 former prisoners of war who lived in Israel, and I've talked to many of them and their wives and their families. And I've watched their come back, you know, their coming home.

And these men always come back very broken, squinting from the sunlight, because they usually are kept in dark rooms or cells or holes in the ground. Their physical and mental condition is not very good. So Bowe didn't -- the way he was looking in that -- in that video didn't surprise me at all.

LEMON: Yes. Because you have to do -- people, maybe they realize it or not. You have to do a lot of research if you're going to do a series like "Homeland."

A senior defense official told ABC that doctors are so worried about Bergdahl's physical and mental health that they have told his family and government officials not to even contact him, even to say welcome back. How hard is re-entry?

RAFF: Well, re-entry is the most -- is the hardest thing, and for some of them it's harder than captivity itself. You know, the experience of captivity is so horrific, and you know, some people mistakenly compare it to a jail sentence.

But the difference is that, when you're a prisoner you have a sentence. You know when this is going to end. You know a very firm end and, you know, schedule. You're going to wake up at 6 a.m. There's going to be light out at 8 p.m.

But when you're a prisoner of war, you're shoved in a hole in the ground somewhere, and you don't know if that door is ever going to open again. You have no idea if your family knows you're alive, if they're looking for you, if they've forgotten about you. You have no idea if you're ever going to see them again or even if you're ever going to eat again. You have complete lack of control of your life.

And so coming back home is extremely traumatic to these people, and unlike the happy ending that we all want it to be, it's the beginning of a very hard journey of recovery. I've spoken to many prisoners of war who've spent long months and some of them long years in captivity. Some of them 40 years ago, and it's still a very traumatic event in their...

LEMON: Yes. You know, I want to ask you this, because you acknowledge this. Beyond just research, you served for three years as a paratrooper in the Israeli army. Does your military experience give you a different perspective on prisoner swaps? I mean, does it make a difference to you if he was a deserter or not?

RAFF: Well, you know, I think the whole question of deserter or not should be, of course, investigated by the Army, not by the media. And -- and once they know all the details, they can come to a conclusion.

But I think, as an 18-year-old kid going to the Army, sent to the most horrific places by your country, you want to know that the country will do everything possible to get you back if you fall captive. Anything.

LEMON: Yes. We've been talking about the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli army traded for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Do you think that these deals are worth doing?

RAFF: You know, I think Israel is such a small country and a tight community, and we all go to the army. So it's a little different than in the states. We all campaign for the return of our kids the minute it happens.

And on the other hand, there is always protests of people who have suffered from terror attacks, people who have lost their kids and their parents and families in terror attacks, and then suddenly their killers are released for the return of prisoners of war.

I always think that you have to do everything possible to bring back the boys and, if anything, you know, there's no right answer here. But I think first you get the boys back and then you do everything possible to make sure that the people that are released don't go back to terrorism.

LEMON: Well, Gideon Raff, that's going to have to be the last word. I know you're very busy. I appreciate you joining us here on CNN. Good luck to you. Very busy man.

And here's why, because "Homeland" returns this fall on Showtime. And "Prisoners of War" is available on Hulu Plus. And you've also got a show called "Tyrant" -- it's set in the Middle East -- which starts on June 24 on FX. Again, Gideon Raff, thank you. You're a very busy man.

And up next here on CNN, {resident Obama pumps iron at a gym in Poland, and the video goes viral. That is next.

CNN's original series "The Sixties" returns. Now here's your Sixties minute.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A sustained (ph) national effort will be needed to move this country safely through the 1960s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven minutes past 1 this morning, a man went around the world. The spaceship was built in Russia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you can put a man in space, you can put nuclear warheads into space.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The temper of the world is crisis. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was palpable fear in the United States and in the Soviet Union that the two sides were going to get into a nuclear war.

KENNEDY: I do not shrink from this responsibility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-five Russian ships are en route to Cuba on a collision course.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next 48 hours will be decisive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should we bomb, should we invade? Back and forth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, unless something is done, that humanity will destroy itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is going to blink first?

ANNOUNCER: "The Sixties," Thursday night at 9 on CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time now for "CNN TONIGHT Tomorrow," the stories that you'll be talking about tomorrow.

Vladimir Putin takes aim at Hillary Clinton over her criticism of Russia annexing Crimea. Putin said, quote, "It's better not to argue with women." Well, he went on to call Clinton weak, saying, quote, "That's not the worst quality for a woman."

A word of advice, Mr. Putin: do not underestimate Hillary Clinton.

In the meantime, President Barack Obama got a workout today at his hotel gym in Poland, caught on a tape by a Facebook user. The Secret Service says security was not breached.

The president was warming up ahead of tomorrow's important G-7 meeting in Belgium.

And then here at home, the end of the Donald Sterling saga. Hopefully. He says he'll sell the L.A. Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.

Sterling had sued the NBA to block the sale. Now his attorneys say the lawsuit will be withdrawn.

I'm Don Lemon. That's it for us tonight. Thank you so much for joining us. "AC 360" starts right now.