President Barack Obama 's national security adviser said Friday that her full-throated praise of Army Sgt . Bowe Bergdahl was appropriate given the former Taliban prisoner 's willingness to go to war for his country -- despite questions about whether or not he deserted his Army colleagues . Susan Rice , who on Sunday said Bergdahl served the United States with `` honor and distinction , '' told CNN in an interview that she was speaking about the fact the Idaho native enlisted and went to Afghanistan in the service of his country . `` I realize there has been lots of discussion and controversy around this , '' Rice said . `` But what I was referring to was the fact that this was a young man who volunteered to serve his country in uniform at a time of war . That , in and of itself , is a very honorable thing . '' The Obama administration has come under fire for the decision to trade five Taliban prisoners previously held at Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl , who was held for nearly five years . Some soldiers who served with Bergdahl have claimed he deserted his post in Afghanistan . An Army-led investigation , which was conducted in the months after Bergdahl disappeared in 2009 , found he left the outpost deliberately and on his own free will , according to a military official who was briefed on the report . Rice on Syria aid . There was no definitive finding that Bergdahl deserted , because that would require knowing his intent -- something Army officials could n't do without talking to the soldier . The military said it is investigating the matter further . Rice said Friday that it was essential for the military to hear Bergdahl 's side of the story before coming to conclusions about what prompted his capture by the Taliban . The six soldiers at center of Bergdahl debate . `` This is a young man whose circumstances we are still going to learn about , '' she said . `` He is , as all Americans , innocent until proven guilty . He 's now being tried in the court of public opinion after having gone through enormously traumatic five years of captivity . '' If the military finds reason to believe Bergdahl deserted his Army comrades , consequences will be delivered , Rice said . `` But in the meantime , let 's remember this is a young man who volunteered to serve his country . He was taken as a prisoner of war . He suffered in captivity , '' she continued . `` He 's now trying to begin the process of recovery . Let 's let that happen . And then let 's know the facts including his side of the story , and then we can make a judgment . '' Rice 's comments last weekend were n't the first time she prompted criticism over an appearance on one of Washington 's Sunday talk shows . In September 2012 , she appeared on several programs following the attack on the American diplomatic post in Benghazi , Libya -- and asserted the incident was prompted by a spontaneous protest against an anti-Muslim video made in the United States . The administration later acknowledged the attack was a terrorist assault on the U.S. compound . The `` Susan Rice talking points '' have become a political flashpoint , spurring congressional investigations , administration explanations , and -- potentially -- a major headache for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if she runs for president in 2016 . Rice has said she was simply providing the best information the administration had at the time -- and on Friday , she contended that just because the information she provided that day turned out to be inaccurate does n't mean she 's willfully misleading Americans . `` I 'm upfront with the American people and I always do my best on behalf of my country and I do my best to tell the facts as I know them , '' she said . In the case of Benghazi , Rice said she `` provided the best information that the U.S. government had at the time . `` Parts of it turned out to be wrong , '' she said . `` I regret that the information I was provided was wrong , that I delivered to the American people . That does n't make me a liar . That makes me a public servant trying to say what we knew at the time . ''
State conducts interview with National Security Adviser Bergdahl . Benghazi is being `` tried in the court of public opinion , '' Rice says . Rice says she never intentionally misled the public on Benghazi or Benghazi . She regrets that the information she provided on Rice was wrong .