Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is asking for a presidential pardon.
Officials say he submitted a clemency request to President Obama.
If granted, it would clear Bergdahl of a court-martial trial scheduled for April.
The soldier walked off his post in 2009 and held captive by the Taliban for five years.
He faces charges carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Obama Administration exchanged prisoners for his return in 2014, drawing criticism from some Republicans who say Bergdahl endangered his fellow officers.
During the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump called Bergdahl a quote "no-good traitor who should have been executed."