FORT BRAGG, N.C.

A U.S. Army general charged with sexual misconduct plans to add civilian lawyers to his legal team after expressing concern his military lawyers feared their careers would be harmed by defending him.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair appeared in court Thursday for a hearing on pre-trial motions. Sinclair faces court martial in June on charges that include forcible sodomy, indecent acts, violating orders and adultery. He has thus far deferred entering a plea.

Military judge Col. James Pohl asked Sinclair Thursday about an e-mail the general sent to the head of the Army’s legal branch suggesting the three lawyers assigned to defend him feared retaliation. At a past hearing, the defense has suggested they may call some of the Army’s top generals as witnesses in the case.

“I had a belief, I was concerned,” Sinclair told the judge. He then added that he felt his military lawyers would defend him to the utmost of their ability, but that he still wished to add four civilian lawyers from the firm Montgomery McCracken, based in New York and Philadelphia.

On Thursday, Pohl denied an earlier motion from the defense to disqualify prosecutors over privileged emails erroneously sent to them by criminal investigators. The messages included exchanges between Sinclair and his lawyers, his wife and with a family friend who is an ordained minister.

Other pre-trial motions in the case are due today. The Army has thus far rebuffed public records requests from The Associated Press for copies of all motions filed in the case by either the prosecution or defense.