State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf engaged in a heated exchange Tuesday with a reporter over the circumstances surrounding Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl’s capture five years ago, saying she does not think his squad mates have the best idea of what happened when he disappeared.
When Fox News reporter Lucas Tomlinson asked, "Does the State Department consider Sergeant Bergdahl to be a deserter?" Harf replied, "The State Department -- no, Lucas. Look, what we've said is we are going to learn the facts about what happened here."
"He's been in captivity, Lucas. I think he's probably the person who knows best what happened on that night," Harf said.
Tomlinson shot back, "Well, I think his squad mates have the best indication what happened that night."
"I don't think that that's the case," Harf responded.
Harf directed Tomlinson to "Google it on the web, and you'll find a ton of conflicting reports"—dismissing the multiple accounts of Bergdahl’s desertion that have emerged over the past several days.