Some of you saw the 60 Minutes special about Mark Owen the author of No Easy Day, the story of the Navy Seals who took out Osama bin Laden. Owen was disguised for the special and the network did not use his real name. All other media revel in the fact that they can tell you his real name.
At the end of the segment we were told the government may initiate a lawsuit again Owen. Here’s the story on that.
By Sam Favate
A memoir by a former Navy SEAL who participated in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in May 2011 has gotten the attention of the Pentagon, which issued a formal warning threatening legal action for an alleged violation of non-disclosure agreements, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Defense Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson wrote a letter Thursday to Mark Owen, the author of “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden,” saying that two nondisclosure agreements with the Navy, signed in 2007, prohibited him from divulging classified information, AP noted. Mark Owen is the pen name of Matt Bissonnette.
The book contains an account of the 2011 raid of Bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The letter said the Pentagon is considering “all legal remedies,” which could include a lawsuit over the book. The book is due for release next week. Several media groups have already obtained copies.
The Pentagon didn’t receive a copy of the book to review before publication, in violation of the agreements, Mr. Johnson said in the letter. Among the measures the Pentagon could take are asking the Justice Department to prosecute the author or to seize the royalties generated by the book, according to Politico.
An author’s note in the book claims that all material in it “is derived from unclassified publications and sources,” and those sources are listed in the back of the book. The publisher didn’t immediately respond to Law Blog’s request for comment.
So, after 14 years of loyal service, numerous dangerous missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and after being in the party that killed bin Laden, Owen may be sued by this government. Why not, he said some things Obama doesn’t like. Like, Owen doesn’t like Obama. Believes he took too much credit for the raid and it’s success. And, he and his fellow Seals were really pissed about the leaks. They felt the Obama administration was putting them in harm’s way by leaking too much information about the raid. It was in the book, read it.
What the hell, Obama is mad. Why not an IRS audit, after you take away the proceeds from his book? Why not have the FBI look into his life after leaving the military? Get OSHA, the EPA, Homeland Security, and all the alphabet soup acronyms you are so proud of in DC after this poor guy.
Look at what some weasel from The New Yorker wrote about Owen.
“As fun as this book is, by the end it gives off a tacky feel. Bissonnette suggests that he doesn’t think much of President Obama, doesn’t have much respect for the civilians who ordered the raid and believes, more or less, that anyone in war who doesn’t carry a gun is a wimp. He seems to resent the fact that Obama took credit for the raid and at one point even resisted signing a framed flag for him, on the now-preposterous grounds that he didn’t want his identity revealed. “Politics are for the Washington, D.C., policy makers who safely watched the action on a video monitor from thousands of miles away.”
This is the carping of a warrior with little appreciation of what his country actually stands for — like that messy thing called democratic politics. After all, he’s just a killing machine.”
Dexter Filkins is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He is the author of “The Forever War.”
Just a killing machine Mr. Dexter Filkins? I don’t know you Mr. Filkins, nor do I know Mr. Owen, but I don’t think you are justified in your comments about Owen. If fact, I find them repulsive. I’m guessing I would find you repulsive too, Mr. Filkins. I agree with everything Mr. Owen said about Obama and the politics of the death of Osama.
Guess I’m still a little worked up about Memorial Day. You, Filkins remind me of the people who spit on the men and women who came back from Viet Nam. Critique the book all you want Filkins, but stay away from spitting on Owen. He’s a true American hero who gave a lot more for your freedom than you might be worth.
Between you and your revered president, Owen deserves better. Threats of lawsuits and smears about being “just a killing machine” are wrong.
He fought for my right to write this and tell anyone who cares how wrong I believe all of this is.