BERGDAHL'S TEAM LEADER: He Sought Talks With The Taliban When He Left

CNN

Former Army Sgt. Evan Buetow, the team leader the night Bowe Bergdahl initially disappeared, told CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday intercepted radio chatter indicated Bergdahl was seeking talks with the Taliban when he first walked away.

"Bergdahl is a deserter, and he's not a hero," Buetow said. "He needs to answer for what he did."

In the days after Bergdahl's disappearance, Buetow said teams looking for him intercepted radio chatter indicating he was in a village two miles away and was "looking for someone who speaks English so he can talk to the Taliban."

"I heard it straight from the interpreter's lips as he heard it over the radio," Buetow said. "There's a lot more to this story than a soldier walking away."

The Obama administration in recent days has come under increasing fire for its decision to swap five Taliban-affiliated prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl. Fellow soldiers who served with Bergdahl have questioned whether he willingly deserted his unit.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh said in a statement Tuesday there will be a "comprehensive, coordinated" review into the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl's initial disappearance. He said that review would include speaking with Bergdahl.

A cable released by WikiLeaks described the frantic days after Bergdahl's initial disappearance, including a report of him "talking and looking for someone who speaks English."

Here's the clip of Buetow on CNN: