WASHINGTON (AP) — Right up until the moment Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was freed, U.S. officials weren't sure the Taliban would really release the only American soldier held captive in Afghanistan in exchange for high-level militants detained at Guantanamo Bay. 
 
 FILE - This undated file image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Jani and Bob Bergdahl speak to the media during a news conference at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho, on Sunday, June 1, 2014, regarding their son, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Sgt. Bergdahl can expect a buoyant... (Associated Press) 
 
 President Barack Obama looks to Bob Bergdahl as Jani Bergdahl, stands at left, during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Saturday, May 31, 2014 about the release... (Associated Press) 
 
 White House press secretary Jay Carney speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, June 2, 2014. Carney was asked about the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Afghanistan... (Associated Press) 
 
 It was touch and go. But then came the call at 5:12 p.m. Saturday on a secure phone line at the U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar. U.S. negotiators learned that Bergdahl, a 28-year-old from Hailey, Idaho, held by the Taliban for nearly five years, was aboard a Delta Force helicopter bound for a U.S. base north of Kabul. 
 
 Bergdahl's release has hardly been a straightforward yellow-ribbon moment for the U.S. Bergdahl apparently was disillusioned with the war and left his post. He was found unarmed, wandering in Paktika province in Afghanistan, when the Taliban detained him in 2009, provincial police chief Nabi Jan Mhullhakhil said Monday. The decision to free him in exchange for five top Taliban officials who have been held in the U.S. detention center in Cuba has raised questions about whether such a swap was too big a concession to make. 
 
 According to a State Department official directly involved in the negotiations in Doha, U.S. officials who had holed up in the embassy for three straight days thought the final days of negotiations with the Taliban's political leadership, through Qatari intermediaries, had gone pretty smoothly. The U.S. had gotten the Taliban to agree that the five detainees would be prohibited from traveling outside Qatar for a year after their release — something the Taliban earlier had opposed. In return, the U.S. agreed to release all five detainees at once, not one or two at a time as previously offered, in an effort to get Bergdahl back more quickly. 
 
 Still, the negotiators weren't positive the deal would work until they got the call that U.S. forces had the Army sergeant, who broke down and cried during the flight. After the call, the negotiators were emotional, too, he said. 
 
 "Backslapping was not how I would describe it," he said. "It wasn't like New Year's Eve. It was emotional, but not a giddy moment." 
 
 It's still unclear what the exact breakthrough moment was, but over lengthy negotiations the official said the talks gelled. Both sides wanted it to happen immediately before it could fall apart. 
 
 Details of the secret negotiations were described by the State Department official. But other information on the state of diplomacy between the Taliban, the U.S. and others was described by other current and former U.S. officials. None were authorized to speak about the deal publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity. The negotiating team included two each from the State Department and the Pentagon, one from the White House national security staff and two from the U.S. Embassy in Doha. 
 
 Some Republicans in the U.S. said the deal for Bergdahl's release could set a troubling precedent. Others said the Obama administration gave up too much before exhausting other avenues that were being pursued to secure the soldier's release. 
 
 "Knowing that various lines of effort were presented and still under consideration, none of which involved a disproportionate prisoner exchange, I am concerned by the sudden urgency behind the prisoner swap, given other lines of effort," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who has criticized the government effort to seek Bergdahl's release as disorganized. 
 
 Some Democrats aren't happy either. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein of California said Congress should have gotten advanced warning as a law on releasing Guantanamo detainees requires. She said her committee would have a closed briefing Tuesday on the prisoner swap. 
 
 The prisoner swap idea had evolved in fits and starts since early 2011. The idea of an exchange was one of three confidence-building measures that were meant to open the door for the Afghan government to hold direct peace negotiations with the Taliban. 
 
 The goal was for the Taliban network to disassociate itself from international terrorism, which essentially required them to break ranks with al-Qaida, and open a political office in Qatar. In June 2013, the Taliban opened the office, adorning it with the same white flag flown during its five-year rule of Afghanistan that ended with the 2001 American-led invasion. Afghan President Hamid Karzai became incensed because he saw that as a Taliban effort to set up a government-in-exile. While the office never opened, Qatar proved a good place to have back-channel communication with the Taliban. 
 
 The State Department official, who spent the past 11 days in Doha helping guide the final round of negotiations to release Bergdahl, said that after the office-opening incident, the U.S. made it clear that it was amenable to indirect or direct talks with the Taliban. 
 
 In September 2013, the Taliban made an offer that appeared to be a request for direct talks about the Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The U.S. responded by seeking proof that Bergdahl was still alive. The Taliban released a video of Bergdahl in January. 
 
 A month later, however, the Taliban said they had suspended talks with the U.S. to exchange Bergdahl for the five Taliban officials. U.S. officials viewed it as a relatively mild rebuff and went to the Qataris to find out whether there still was the possibility of talks about the detainees. The Qataris agreed to act as an intermediary and after some consideration, the Taliban decided they were willing to talk. 
 
 No substantive discussion about terms of the swap occurred before both sides agreed to the latest talks, which started in late March or early April. U.S. officials were never in the same room with the Taliban leaders. 
 
 U.S. officials would talk to the Qataris, who would then contact the Taliban. Sometimes a couple of weeks would pass before U.S. officials would get a response from the Taliban on various issues involving the swap. In the few days leading up to Saturday's release, the communication became more frequent and the turnaround time was only a day. 
 
 U.S. officials did their negotiating in various Qatari government buildings — once changing venues because of broken air conditioning. 
 
 The State Department official said there was not a single breakthrough that allowed the swap to materialize, although U.S. officials believed that the Taliban's decision to accept the one-year travel ban for the released detainees was a large step forward. In earlier rounds of negotiations, the Taliban had always sought exemptions from the travel ban for medical purposes or other reasons. 
 
 The official said the detainees' activities will be limited in Qatar, an Arab emirate on the Persian Gulf, but that the conditions are not like house arrest. The five detainees, who are all in their 40s, received physicals upon arriving in Qatar on Sunday. 
 
 By last Wednesday morning, the U.S. negotiators had finalized the broad terms of the agreement. Then it was down to risky logistics of actually transferring Bergdahl in a war zone where both sides, who are fighting each other, had to be present. 
 
 Even on Saturday, up until the moment Bergdahl walked free, the U.S. negotiators were on the phone talking to the Taliban political leaders — through the Qataris — trying to prevent a misunderstanding from scuttling the deal. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Ken Dilanian and Donna Cassata in Washington and Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report. 

 BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey says the Army may still pursue an investigation that could lead to desertion charges against Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (boh BURG'-dahl), who was freed from five years of Taliban captivity in a prisoner exchange last weekend. 
 
 Dempsey also told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday that Bergdahl's next scheduled promotion is not automatic because he is no longer missing in action. 
 
 He noted that U.S. military leaders "have been accused of looking away from misconduct" and said "it's premature" to assume they would do so in Bergdahl's case, despite his five years as a Taliban detainee. 
 
 Bergdahl was handed over to U.S. Army special forces Saturday in exchange for the release of five detainees at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention facility. 

 President Barack Obama defended his administration’s efforts to rescue Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from captivity, arguing Tuesday that what was most important was bringing an American soldier home. 
 
 The United States has a “pretty sacred rule and that is we don’t leave our men or women in uniform behind and that dates back to the earliest days,” Obama said at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland, the first stop on a three-country European trip. 
 
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 reset Obama: U.S. to increase military presence in Europe Obama: What you didn't know Mike Rogers: No Hill briefing since 2011 
 
 “Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. Period. Full stop. We don’t condition that,” he said. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: 5 questions for the W.H. on Bergdahl) 
 
 Though congressional Republicans and some Democrats have been voicing their dismay about not being notified of the prisoner swap with the standard 30 days of advance notice, Obama asserted that his administration had been consulting with lawmakers “for some time” and had made clear that it might have to take quick action. 
 
 House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) pushed back on that assertion, saying Tuesday that Congress hadn’t heard from the Obama administration since 2011 on the possibility of a prisoner swap with the Taliban. 
 
 “I don’t know what he means by consulted Congress for some time,” Rogers said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” in response Obama’s comments. “In 2011, they did come up and present a plan that included a prisoner transfer that was, in a bipartisan way, pushed back. We hadn’t heard anything since on any details of any prisoner exchange.” 
 
 (PHOTOS: Obama visits Europe to discuss Russia) 
 
 The White House did not tell lawmakers the deal was made until after the fact, and the formal notification did not happen until Monday, two days after Obama stood triumphantly in the Rose Garden of the White House with Bergdahl’s parents. 
 
 Obama argued Tuesday that his administration did what was right and appropriate, a necessary move to bring an American home. “We saw an opportunity, we were concerned about Sgt. Bergdahl’s health, we had the cooperation of the Qataris to execute an exchange and we seized that opportunity,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we did not miss that window,” he later added. 
 
 (WATCH: Politicians and pundits react to Bergdahl exchange) 
 
 Bergdahl has been the target of criticism from some who served with him in Afghanistan, who argue that he is guilty of desertion because he allegedly walked off his base unarmed in 2009 after expressing concerns about the U.S. mission against the Taliban. Obama acknowledged that there are questions surrounding the circumstances that led to Bergdahl’s capture, but said that officials’ immediate focus is on helping the soldier recover from the stresses of his captivity. 
 
 “We obviously have not been interrogating Sgt. Bergdahl. He is recovering from five years of captivity with the Taliban,” the president said. 
 
 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, writing on Facebook early Tuesday, said that any concerns about Bergdahl’s conduct “are separate from our effort to recover ANY U.S. service member in enemy captivity. This was likely the last, best opportunity to free him.” 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: Rogers: 'A price' for U.S. soldiers) 
 
 Dempsey added that “like any American, [Bergdahl] is innocent until proven guilty. Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family. Finally, I want to thank those who for almost five years worked to find him, prepared to rescue him, and ultimately put themselves at risk to recover him.” 
 
 Pressed on whether Bergdahl will face questioning and possibly a court martial for desertion — an outcome that’s been raised by some observers — Obama said that discussion was still premature. 
 
 “That’s not something that we’re discussing at this point because our main priority is making sure that the transition that he is undergoing after five years of captivity is successful,” he said. 
 
 (WATCH: What you don't know about Obama) 
 
 Obama also responded Tuesday to claims that his agreeing to the release of five members of the Taliban who had been detained for years at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba poses a threat to U.S. national security . 
 
 Their release “was conditioned on the Qataris keeping eyes on them and creating a structure in which we can monitor their activities. We will be keeping eyes on them,” he said. “Is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? Absolutely. that’s been true of all the prisoners that were released from Guantanamo. There is a certain recidivism rate that takes place.” 
 
 But, he added, “I wouldn’t be doing it if I thought that it was contrary to American national security and we have confidence that we will be in a position to go after them if in fact they are engaging in activities that threaten our defenses.” 
 
 Jonathan Topaz contributed to this report. 

 
 
 Jani and Bob Bergdahl joined President Obama in the Rose Garden on Saturday for a statement about the release of their prisoner-of-war son. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) 
 
 Since Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was captured in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2009, his father had become an expert on Guantanamo Bay’s detainees. It was out of necessity, because the Taliban demanded that the United States free prisoners from Guantanamo in exchange for Bergdahl. 
 
 “No family in the United States understands the detainee issue like ours,” Robert Bergdahl said in a 2011 plea to his son’s captors. 
 
 So it wasn’t entirely unusual when Bergdahl apparently published a tweet last week about Guantanamo’s detainees. Except this tweet was directed at a Taliban spokesman. And it came just four days before it was announced that his son was finally being released. 
 
 “I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners,” the tweet said, according to various screen grabs. The tweet was subsequently deleted. “God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen.” 
 
 The elation over the release of America’s only prisoner of war has mixed with questions about the circumstances of his disappearance — and the cost of his return. 
 
 The recent tweet has only fanned those flames in some quarters. 
 
 Former GOP Rep. Allen West labeled it a potential “smoking gun.” 
 
 “Folks, this is either a very bad case of Stockholm Syndrome or something far more nefarious is at stake,” wrote West, a popular conservative activist. “Regardless, there is more to this than meets the eye of Obama making a unilateral decision and announcement on a Saturday — when he believes no one is watching.” 
 
 Bergdahl’s critics view the tweet as another demonstration of the father’s and son’s contempt for their own country. But the elder Bergdahl’s Twitter feed — @bobbergdahl — tells a more nuanced story. 
 
 In addition to calling for the release of Guantanamo detainees, Bergdahl also tweeted in solidarity with a a host of prisoners elsewhere, including abducted journalist James Foley, who was detained in Syria; Saeed Abedini, an American Christian pastor jailed in Iran; and Kenneth Bae, an American jailed in North Korea. 
 
 Bergdahl has also used Twitter to stay in constant contact with his son’s supporters and sympathizers, tweeting often about his son and sharing articles about the war in Afghanistan interspersed with a few anti-war links and videos. 
 
 It’s unclear why this particular tweet was deleted: A spokesman for the family told The Post on Monday that Bob and Jani Bergdahl were asked by the media about the now-missing message upon their return to Idaho from Washington. But the Bergdahls didn’t discuss it. 
 
 “They just nodded their head in acknowledgement of the question, but they didn’t address [it] in their remarks,” said Col. Timothy Marsano, the family spokesman. 
 
 During their long, painful wait for their son’s safe return, the Bergdahls have vacillated between quiet, consistent remembrance and outspoken activism. 
 
 After his son’s capture, Bergdahl appeared to pour himself into an effort to find solidarity with his missing son. He grew a long beard and learned Pashto and Urdu, languages spoken along the Afghan-Pakistan border. 
 
 And it has been no secret that he offers compassion to his son’s captors. 
 
 The father of former prisoner-of-war Bowe Bergdahl recorded this personal message to the Pakistani armed forces, citizens, and his son's captors in 2011. (Robert Bergdahl via YouTube) 
 
 “Strangely to some we must also thank those who have cared for our son for almost two years,” Bergdahl said in the 2011 video message to the Taliban. “We know our son is a prisoner and at the same time a guest in your home.” 
 
 Last year, during a rally hosted by the P.O.W. activist organization Honor-Release-Return, Bergdahl commented that the Taliban treated his son “fairly.” 
 
 “Bowe and the other Americans in captivity have been extremely fortunate not to be badly mistreated by the Taliban,” he said, referring to other unnamed Americans in captivity, as he often does. 
 
 At times during the last five years, he considered taking matters into his own hands. He thought about going to Pakistan to retrieve his son himself. 
 
 “I’ll talk to them,” he told Rolling Stone Magazine in a 2012 profile. “I’ll bring him home myself.” 
 
 And he has said he maintains constant e-mail contact with a Taliban member with knowledge of his son’s whereabouts. 
 
 When negotiations stalled in 2012, the Bergdahls spoke out forcefully in favor of the exchange of Guantanamo prisoners for their son, in an interview with the Idaho Mountain Express — even while they praised the U.S. government’s handling of the situation. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bergdahl … are advocating that the Pentagon and the White House consider swapping one or more U.S. prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for their son. “I’m pushing it hard,” Mr. Bergdahl said. “We started out by trying to encourage the Taliban to take care of our son. … Now, we’re worried that the government isn’t concerned enough to put him on the (negotiating) table.” … Mr. Bergdahl said he believes a deal to swap Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo for Bowe would be a “win-win” for the United States—his son could be returned safely to Idaho and the government could foster goodwill with the Afghan people. 
 
 After five years of waiting, the U.S. finally did.
– There has been no shortage of criticism surrounding the release of Bowe Bergdahl, and a now-deleted tweet is joining the roster of things being picked apart. As the Washington Post reports, Bergdahl's father, Bob, last week tweeted the following: "I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen." Though it has since been scrubbed from Twitter—without explanation, though the media has asked—it was apparently directed at a Taliban rep and was posted only four days before news of the prisoner exchange broke. And it has some of those critics railing against the Bergdahls and their perceived "contempt for their own country," writes the Post. More: Bergdahl was a frequent topic of question at a press conference President Obama held in Warsaw, Poland, today, and Politico has some standout lines, on the administration's moves ("Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. Period. Full stop. We don’t condition that."); on what Bergdahl was doing when he was captured ("We obviously have not been interrogating Sgt. Bergdahl. He is recovering from five years of captivity with the Taliban."); and on whether he could possibly be court-martialed for desertion ("That’s not something that we’re discussing at this point because our main priority is making sure that the transition that he is undergoing after five years of captivity is successful.") Joint Chiefs Chair Martin Dempsey was less cagey, telling the AP today that the Army may yet pursue desertion charges against Bergdahl. What was the turning point amid years of negotiations? Sources tell the AP there was no singular breakthrough, but that two terms of the swap were changed in the final days of negotiations: The Taliban agreed the freed detainees wouldn't leave Qatar for a year—it had been pushing for exemptions for things like medical reasons—and the US agreed to release all five detainees at once, not one or two at a time as previously offered. The AP points out that Bergdahl wasn't technically a prisoner of war. Read its interesting explanation here.