‘No Easy Day’ Author Offers To Donate Proceeds, Navy Seals Charity Says No Thanks
The authors of No Easy Day, the controversial book about the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, have received plenty of criticism, and even a few lawsuits over their best-selling book. In an attempt to make things right, co-author Matt Bissonnette, who wrote under the name Mark Owen, offered to donate the proceeds to charity.
But the Navy Seals Foundation doesn’t want anything to do with the money.
The organization wrote in a statement:
“The Navy SEAL Foundation is committed to providing immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and their families… With this principled mission in mind, the Foundation will not be accepting any donations that are generated from the book or any related activities.”
The book, which hit No. 1 on Amazon immediately after it was released, contains “sensitive and classified” information. Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson threatened legal action against Owen, saying that as a former Navy Seal he had agreed not to divulge classified information. By publishing No Easy Day, he broke that contract.
Johnson said:
“In the judgment of the Department of Defense, you are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed.”
The Navy Seals Foundation is the only charity so far to flat out reject Owen’s donation. The Huffington Post reports that Owen has made an offer to other charities but it’s unclear if anyone will except the money generated from the controversial book.
Christina Valentine, director of the All in All the Time Foundation, said:
“I need to sit here and really mull it over… I don’t want to judge anybody or make an uninformed comment. I wonder how many people out there haven’t read the book and are making a statement?”
What do you think of the Bin Laden raid book? Is Owens doing the right thing by trying to donate the money to charity?
Tags : bin Laden raid book, book about bin laden raid, mark owens, navy seals book, navy seals charity, no easy day
Posted: September 7, 2012
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Sep 9, 2012
As an attorney myself, it is clear that the battle lines are drawn. The requisite provisions of the law in relation to Mark Owen’s claim for First Amendment Expression runs counter to the Government’s need for secrecy under the rubric of protecting lives. It is well settled, according to the US Supreme Court, that the government may regulate Free Speech according to time, place and manner restrictions that are justified vis a vis health and safety considerations. The DOD could make the argument that they are within their right to curtail Mark Owen’s freedom of expression because it would endanger the lives of other officers. Interesting, I too wrote a book entitled NO EASY DAY: A Fictional Account of the Mission that "Killed" Osama Bin Laden" (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00505B5EU ) However, mine is total fiction. My book was published May 09, 2011.
Conrad Powell, Esq. – Attorney-at-Law, http://conradpowell.blogspot.com.
Sep 10, 2012
This is a whisper campaign. I'm about 2/3 through the book and it details no more info that ANY OF THE OTHER BOOKS WRITTEN BY EX-SEALs that I have read.
However, this book does have contents that embarrasses Barack Obama.
Sep 10, 2012
I finished the book a few days ago, and I agree with you Darryl. There is no "tactical" information in the book that isn't already published elsewhere OR already revealed by the White House and Pentagon. The information that would embarrass Obama is presented in away that tells a story, not as attack on the President. Personnally, I think someone is embarrassed for being called out for spiking the football after someone else scored the touchdown.
Sep 13, 2012
Eh, just the overencompassing military industrial complex whining and complaining, most likely.