The military judge hearing U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's desertion case said on Monday he would not rule out a prison sentence due to the possible influence of President Donald Trump's criticism of the soldier.

Army Colonel Jeffery Nance said he would consider the president's remarks as a mitigating factor at sentencing, however, raising the possibility of a lighter punishment.

During last year's presidential campaign, Republican Trump called Bergdahl "a no-good traitor who should have been executed." The defense said the president's more recent remarks about the case showed his opinion of Bergdahl had not changed and unfairly influenced the proceedings.

Nance ruled in court at North Carolina's Fort Bragg, where Bergdahl's sentencing hearing is underway, that no reasonable person would harbor doubt about the integrity of the proceedings due to Trump's comments.

"I am uninfluenced by the president’s comments," said Nance, later adding, "However, I will consider the president’s comments as mitigating factors."

Bergdahl, 31, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a dishonorable discharge after pleading guilty earlier this month to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

Prosecutors concluded their case on Monday.

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