‘No Easy Day’ author and former Navy SEAL loses millions in book earnings

Former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette lost all of the earnings from his book, “No Easy Day” which detailed the Osama bin Laden raid. Ultimately, he failed to get his book reviewed by the DoD in order to prevent any violations of his non-disclosure agreements. In total, he lost $6.7 million in book royalties, $100,000 in speaking engagement fees, and $180,000 in advertising fees from three gear companies.

Even if he turned in his manuscript to the DoD, would they have released or approved it? Several former Navy SEALs have had delays and issues with getting their work through the process even though there were no violations.

SOFREP writer, BK said it best in last week’s News Roundup:

It seems like overkill. At the end of the day, Bissonette is the guy that went thru the grueling training. He’s the guy who spent hours in the ocean. He’s the guy who spent hours on planes, heading to war zones. He’s the guy who was actually doing the tough, dirty work on the ground. For the Pentagon to seize everything having to do with his personal story is petty and unfounded. I mean… going after the money that he made from giving speeches? For “unauthorized slides?” Come on, man.

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Editorial cartoon courtesy of Robert L. Lang