But they also know that if anyone questions it, they can turn around and paint those questioning as ‘being unpatriotic’ and criticizing a US soldier who was held captive for five years. So they’ll have that base covered as well.
To them, Dissent is Treason.
I don’t think they’ll get much mileage from that for the simple reason that it’s self-evidently a terrible trade. A deserter for five Taliban commanders? Even the low info crowd can see that’s a bum deal. I predict this thing goes away quickly and is never heard about again, except maybe on page D17 six months from now when it comes out that the bit about his failing health was baloney.