In a motion filed shortly after Trump was sworn in, defense lawyers asked a military judge to dismiss the charges against Bergdahl and argued the Republican violated his due process rights and military law against unlawful command influence. Defense attorneys write: "the president, as commander in chief, wields great power over the careers of officers and his opinions are necessarily entitled to respect by all military personnel, whether or not they voted for him." In 2013, a Navy judge cited comments by then-President Barack Obama when he said two defendants in sexual assault cases couldn't be punitively discharged if they were found guilty because of Obama's public comments about cracking down on sexual assault. The Obama administration's decision in May 2014 to exchange Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners prompted some Republicans to accuse Obama of jeopardizing the nation's safety.