Navy SEAL Bin Laden Raid Account Prompts Legal Action From Pentagon
This undated file photo shows al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in Afghanistan. A firsthand account of the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden contradicts previous accounts by administration officials, raising questions as to whether the terror mastermind presented a clear threat when SEALs first fired upon him. (AP Photo)
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon's top lawyer has informed the former Navy SEAL who authored a forthcoming book describing details of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden that he violated agreements to not divulge military secrets and that as a result the Pentagon is considering taking legal action against him.
The general counsel of the Defense Department, Jeh Johnson, wrote in a letter transmitted to the author on Thursday that he had signed two nondisclosure agreements with the Navy in 2007 that obliged him to "never divulge" classified information. Johnson said that after reviewing a copy of the book, "No Easy Day," the Pentagon concluded that the author is in "material breach and violation" of the agreements.
Johnson said the department is considering pursuing against him "all remedies legally available to us."
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WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon's top lawyer has informed the former Navy SEAL who authored a forthcoming book describing details of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden that he violated agreements to not ...
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon's top lawyer has informed the former Navy SEAL who authored a forthcoming book describing details of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden that he violated agreements to not ...
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We have heard riveting stories of heroism and valor from one of the soldiers who participated the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. His book is by most accounts devoid of any classified information. So are U.S. government officials angry that he wrote a book, or that his book came out before their movie?
Filed by Paige Lavender
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By ROBERT BURNS 08/30/12 08:35 PM ET