The Pentagon has warned that it is considering legal action against a former US Navy Seal for material breach of non-disclosure agreements with his first-hand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
In a letter, the Pentagon’s top attorney said the department of defence was also considering legal action against anyone “acting in concert” with the author. It hinted that the book’s royalties might be subject to government claims.
The letter – addressed to “Mark Owen”, the pseudonym under which the book was written – identified two separate non-disclosure agreements he had signed with the Navy that legally committed him to never divulge classified information, which is a crime. “You are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed,” said the letter by Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon’s general counsel.
The author may have hoped to publish the book anonymously but his identity as Matt Bissonnette was quickly revealed and confirmed independently. – (Reuters)