Navy seal who participated in the death of osama bin laden I just heard this on the news, on msnbc has anyone else heard or read this?

The WH has the name of the author of the book and released the information not just to Fox news but to everyone it was on the AP news wire last night.

from what I am seeing and reading is the author of this book was writing under a pseudo, and his book was announced. Fox took one step farther and released the authors real name, and he was a navy seal ,where they got this info I don't know, but will research it ..

The WH has known the book was coming out, their concern is that no classified info was put in the book. The man who wrote it was on the Navy Seal team and it is suppost to be very graphic and counter some claims by the WH of what really happened (orders etc.) If the book is factual the Gov. can't stop its release, no matter how much they want to.

Bin Laden raid tell-all author revealed, questions raised whether ex-Navy SEALs have freedom of speech

By Justin Fishel

Published August 23, 2012

FoxNews.com

Ex-SEAL who penned book on UBL raid revealed
Could author of bin Laden raid tell-all be...

The author of a recently announced insider account of the raid that killed Usama bin Laden has been identified to Fox News as a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL Team 6 member from Alaska who also played a role in the high-profile rescue of an American captain kidnapped by Somali pirates.

The book, "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden," is set to hit shelves on Sept 11. It is penned under the pseudonym "Mark Owen," according to the publisher, but multiple sources told Fox News his name is in fact Matt Bissonnette, 36, of Wrangell, Alaska. Bissonnette could be exposing himself to legal trouble, as the Pentagon has not vetted the account.

The tell-all book also has apparently upset a large population of former and current SEAL members who worry about releasing information that could compromise future missions. One Navy SEAL told Fox News, "How do we tell our guys to stay quiet when this guy won't?" Other SEALs are expressing anger, with some going so far as to call him a "traitor."

And Col. Tim Nye, a Special Operations Command spokesman, said the author "put himself in danger" by writing the book.

“This individual came forward. He started the process. He had to have known where this would lead,” Nye said. "He’s the one who started this so he bears the ultimate responsibility for this.”

According to a press release from his publisher, Penguin Group, "Owen (Bissonnette) was one of the first men through the door on the third floor of the terrorist leader's hideout and was present at his death."

In the book, Bissonnette writes "it is time to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in U.S. military history."

An experienced member of the elite Navy SEAL special operators, Bissonnette also participated in the highly publicized rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean in 2009. That mission involved a daring rescue that ended when SEAL snipers shot and killed three Somali pirates with direct shots to the head.

Bissonnette received the rank of chief before he retired.

The book is co-authored with Kevin Maurer, author of four books, many of which were based on Special Operations.

Along with using the pseudonym "Mark Owen," Bissonette protected his fellow SEAL Team 6 members by changing their names in the book.

Both the Pentagon and CIA said Wednesday that the book was not in any way vetted by either department to prevent unwanted classified information from being released. When asked about the book, officials in both departments said they were unaware of the SEAL's true identity, but described co-author Kevin Maurer as a well-respected journalist.

Lt. Cmdr. Chris Servello, a Navy spokesman, said it's possible Bissonnette or any former service member could be punished for revealing national security secrets. "Any service member who discloses classified or sensitive information could be subject to prosecution -- this doesn't end when you leave the service," Servello said. "There is nothing unique to the special warfare community in this regard."

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said that because the author is a retired service member, any potential criminal prosecution would be handled by the Department of Justice.

A spokesman at Dutton, a division of Penguin Group, said proceeds from the book will be donated to charitable causes that benefit the families of fallen Navy SEALs.

Much attention has been given to the issue of security leaks in the ongoing presidential race. Supporters of Mitt Romney accuse President Obama of intentionally leaking operational details surrounding the bin Laden raid for political gain.

OPSEC, a group of retired military and intelligence officers, came under fire this week from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, who told Fox News on Tuesday he was "disappointed" by the group's political use of the military uniform in a recent anti-Obama advertisement. Dempsey said he feels those who serve ought to remain "apolitical."

OPSEC fired back, arguing that Dempsey's criticisms can be applied equally to the Obama campaign's "One Chance" ad, which featured images of Blackhawk helicopters in flight and military pilots. The video suggests Romney would not have made the same decision to call for the raid that killed Usama bin Laden

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/23/author-bin-laden-raid-insider-account-idd-could-face-legal-trouble/#ixzz24V1RBkpA

What is the WH hiding ? Security I understand but there smells of something different in this.

The point is, fox released the real name of the author,and where he lives.
Both the Pentagon and CIA said Wednesday that the book was not in any way vetted by either department to prevent unwanted classified information from being released. When asked about the book, officials in both departments said they were unaware of the SEAL's true identity, but described co-author Kevin Maurer as a well-respected journalist.

The name was on Yahoo before I heard it on Fox, but not sure why the WH isn't admitting to having knowledge of the book earlier than a Fox release. Just like the movie 2016, they are in a wad about it to.

Fox News

Opinion Brief
Was Fox News wrong to ID the Navy SEAL who wrote about killing Osama bin Laden?
The author used a pseudonym, publisher Penguin says, to ensure his and his family's safety, but Fox apparently didn't share the same concern
posted on August 24, 2012, at 8:58 AM
Fox News revealed that Matt Bissonnette is the Navy SEAL who wrote this first-hand account of the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Fox News revealed that Matt Bissonnette is the Navy SEAL who wrote this first-hand account of the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Photo: Facebook.com/penguinbooks SEE ALL 35 PHOTOS

Fox News has identified the former Navy SEAL Team 6 member who has written a book billed as a firsthand account of the killing of Osama bin Laden. The ex-commando, who wrote under the pseudonym "Mark Owen," is really Matt Bissonnette, 36, of Wrangell, Alaska, according to Fox. The Associated Press reported Thursday that a military official had confirmed the author's identity. The book, No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden, is due to be released on Sept. 11. Pentagon officials say they did not vet the unauthorized account of the raid on the late al Qaeda mastermind's hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and that if the author has revealed any classified information, he could be prosecuted. A spokesman for the publisher, Penguin, said outing the author could put his safety at risk — and the Fox correspondent who reported Bissonnette's name even wrote an article last year on how members of the raid team were guarding their anonymity out of security concerns. Was it wrong for Fox to blow Bissonnette's cover?

Yes. Unmasking the author was grossly irresponsible: "Why would Fox News out a Navy SEAL who made the world a safer place?" asks Global Grind. Not only does that put him and his family in potential danger, but, should terrorists target members of SEAL Team 6 to avenge bin Laden's death, this provides them some string to potentially track down all of the members of the special operations team that participated in the raid. If anyone is prosecuted, maybe it should be Fox.
"Why they snitching? Fox News outs Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden"

Bissonnette brought this on himself: That was fast, says Dan Amira at New York. The plan was for "Owen" to do publicity interviews in disguise to protect his anonymity. But come on: "If this particular Navy SEAL was super concerned about maintaining his privacy, he probably wouldn't have written a blockbuster book about the most famous special forces operation in American history." It is a tad ironic, though, that it was flag-waving Fox News that blew the whistle on a war hero.
"Navy SEAL author of bin Laden book maintains anonymity for all of one day"

And he broke a code of silence: If you really want to hear some "shock and outrage," says Eli Lake at The Daily Beast, try talking about this with another Navy SEAL. The members of the Navy's secret, elite commando force "practice a Mafia-like code of omerta." In fact, these guys sign a nondisclosure agreement that is binding during and after their service, and if they do write a book, they're supposed to let the Pentagon "scrub the texts of any classified information.

fact is fox blew the whistle on the real name of the navy seal!
when was this article written/ or a link? looks like some ad libbed was added..

the link to my second article forgot to put it

http://theweek.com/article/index/232382/was-fox-news-wrong-to-id-the-seal-who-wrote-about-killing-osama-bin-laden

I believe if you read the article the date is Aug.23, not to hard to miss. As far as Fox they and any other network are allowed to broadcast anything off the Associated Press AP, that is where most networks get their news. According to Fox the AP released the story they picked it up as did Yahoo on Thursday of this week.

Not sure where you are going with the add libbing but I know you don't mean I added to the story. Just to ease your neurotic self go read the article word for word.Simple to do.

where is the link and I will go read..

fact fox news was the first to leak the real name I have many articles that say the same here is another article
http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/fox-news-ignores-safety-pleas-and-identifies-navy-seal-author/article_91dbfee8-a660-5cf4-a822-d1e916740839.html

August 24, 2012 12:00 am • By KIMBERLY DOZIER — Associated Press
Loading…

WASHINGTON — The Navy SEAL who wrote an account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden under a pseudonym was identified Thursday as Matt Bissonnette, who retired from the Navy last summer.

Bissonnette was first identified by Fox News. One current and one former U.S. military official confirmed the name, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss military personnel matters.

The book, "No Easy Day," is scheduled to be released Sept. 11, with the author listed under the pseudonym of Mark Owen. Penguin Group (USA)'s Dutton imprint, the publisher, asked news organizations Thursday to withhold his identity.

"Sharing the true story of his personal experience in 'No Easy Day' is a courageous act in the face of obvious risks to his personal security," said a statement by Christine Ball, Penguin Group spokeswoman. "That personal security is the sole reason the book is being published under a pseudonym."

Special Operations Command spokesman Col. Tim Nye said the retired SEAL could be endangered by being identified, which could also expose those active-duty SEALs the author worked with in the killing of bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan last year.

The book and the author's name also come out during a time of debate over the possible damage to U.S. national security by leaks in the media about top secret operations. Yet the book also comes at a time when special operations forces are prominently featured in the media as never before, even as the elite organizations demand secrecy.

..Navy SEAL's bin Laden book sparks political battle
http://news.yahoo.com/seal-bin-laden-raid-pens-first-hand-account-142055862.html

By Sebastian Smith | AFP – Thu, Aug 23, 2012..........US Navy SEALs are used to bullets and bombs, but a book by one of the commandos who killed Osama bin Laden has deployed the secretive unit into the even bigger electoral battle for the White House.

"No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account Of The Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden" is due to come out on the politically charged date of September 11, less than two months before President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney face off at the polls.

Dutton, an imprint of Penguin, says the author was one of the SEALs who entered bin Laden's hideout in May 2011 "and was present at his death."

The writer is identified by the pseudonym Mark Owen and is said to have left the military after 13 consecutive combat deployments, culminating with Operation Neptune Spear in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The book is co-written with Kevin Maurer, a US journalist.

In the book, Owen says, he wants "to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in US military history. 'No Easy Day' is the story of 'the guys,' the human toll we pay, and the sacrifices we make to do this dirty job."

The cover of the book, already advertised on Amazon, shows the ghostly figure of a soldier holding a rifle, but gives little away about what's inside.

Speculation is rife over how the likely sensational story will play in a tight election where Obama is touting the al-Qaeda founder's killing in Pakistan as one of his major achievements.

As commander-in-chief, Obama at a minimum signed off on a mission that would have been a huge embarrassment had it ended badly. With success, Obama accomplished what his supposedly more hawkish predecessor, George W. Bush, failed to do in eight years.

However, Obama's critics -- ranging from Romney to a group of former special forces and CIA operatives -- accuse the president of leaking sensitive information to milk the mission for political gain.

Another challenge has appeared in a new book by journalist Richard Miniter, "Leading From Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him," which claims that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to prod an indecisive Obama to order the raid.

Leslie Feldman, professor of political science at Hofstra University, said the White House will be waiting anxiously for the SEAL's account.

"My gut feeling is it's not good," she told AFP. "Mitt Romney's people will be scouring every page of that book and if they come up with one little sentence they can use, one little fact, then they're going to throw that at President Obama."

"It's not good for him, but it depends on what the guy says," Feldman added.

The White House had no comment about the book on Thursday.

At the Pentagon, officials appeared to have been taken by surprise.

Books by former servicemen are meant to be checked for sensitive information and in this case, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Gregory said, "we did not receive any requests to review."

The author could face prosecution if the book reveals information that compromises national security, he said, noting: "A decision has to be made as to the seriousness of the disclosure and the Department of Justice would be the department to follow up."

The CIA also said it had not been asked to review the text.

The politically explosive nature of the bin Laden raid was already highlighted when film producer Kathryn Bigelow agreed to push back her film "Zero Dark Thirty" to a date after the November election. The Oscar winner had come under fire from Republicans who said she was too close to the White House.

But the political loyalties of Owen remain a mystery, even if his true identity may already have been blown.

Fox News reported that Owen is in fact Matt Bissonnette, a 36-year-old from Alaska, a revelation that one Pentagon official called "disturbing."

The CBS news program "60 Minutes" said on Twitter that it had interviewed the author, and would carry his "1st person account" of bin Laden's killing on September 9, two days before the book's release.

Bloggers on sofrep.com, a site with connections to people in the special forces, said former comrades were turning on the soldier-turned-author.

"It's not a secret (the bin Laden raid) and their mission (is being) exploited by politics," one person identified as a special forces operative wrote. "But for one of our own to cash in is simply unprofessional and disrespectful to those that didn't cash in."

Brandon Webb, sofrep.com's president, wrote in a blog post that he knew the author and sympathized with his desire to make money after leaving the forces.

However, "this former DEVGRU operator has been ostracized by the men of DEVGRU for good. I hope his royalty advance was worth it," Webb said.

The man writing under the name Owen says that his main goal is simply to inspire young men to achieve things. The publisher says that "the majority of the proceeds" from the book will be donated to charities helping the families of killed SEALs.

...

No clue where the 1st article is there are so many so I will delete it since I forgot the link, this one says roughly the same thing.

no it doesn't roughly say the same thing,fact is fox leaked the and revealed the name of the pseudonym authors real name and address, when they were warned not to.

Bite my ass Gyp all you want to do is argue, FOX-FOX-FOX, geez can't you read AP released the name also. Go Google it now ABC-CBS-NBC and everyother wanna be news media has tons of articles to research. So what if Fox reported it, news is news . Why are you so worried about what Fox says you hate them, why do you even refer to anything to do with them, you say they only lie anyway. About done with this not going to argue with you I would rather go mow grass and then you have no one to argue with.

so you couldn't prove my article wrong, so you go into attack mode!!then maybe you shouldn't get involved, if you have better things to do, it takes two to argue, you disputed my article. I proved it fact. enjoy mowing

What the hell are you talking about ? I knew Fox released the name, but I also knew the AP sent it across the wire for ANY news netwark to pick up and Yahoo also disclosed it. I will enjoy mowing and you enjoy one more post for 24 hrs. I am done here you make it miserable and I am not arguing with the likes of you.

no you didn't prove that,ap did.. fox was the first to release the real navy seals name, and could put a lot of people in danger it is all over the news.. haha you said that before..not arguing.. good mowing!