A former Navy SEAL who published his account of the 2011 Osama bin Laden raid is under investigation for a possible conflict of interest between his private consulting and his active-duty procurement work for SEAL Team 6 and his private consultantcy work and his position as a member of SEAL Team 6, The Intercept reported Tuesday.
Former Chief Special Operator (SEAL) Matt Bissonnette, who had previously been under investigation for divulging secretsclassified material in his memoir "No Easy Day," turned over a copy of his hard drive to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which allegedly contained a classified photo of the dead terrorist leader, according to the news website.
NCIS received Bissonnette's hard drive in exchange as part of an agreement not to prosecute him for or not prosecuting him for possession of the photo of bin Laden's corpseclassified material, sources told The Intercept. However, in their search, NCIS found correspondence from Bissonnette's time as a consultant while still serving in the Navy.
"NCIS does not discuss the details of ongoing investigations," NCIS spokesman Ed Buice told The Intercept.
The discovery led federal investigators to question whether he used his role as in team procurement to promote his military equipment supplier clients.
This is an undated file photo of former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
Photo Credit: AP
"Biss was part of the procurement process," said a former SEAL Team 6 operator, who has been interviewed by federal investigators about his relationship with Bissonnette, according to The Intercept. "It was natural for him to deal with companies making our gear."
The probe extends to The Element Group, the consultancy he set up after his 14-year Navy career, according to The Intercept. He has worked with at least one defense contractor, Atlantic Diving Supply, that sells equipment to Bissonette's former team.
According to a source, there is evidence of hundreds of thousands of dollars that ADS paid to The Element Group, and investigators are trying to figure out what services Bissonnette's company provided.
Four other SEALs have joined The Element Group, according to a source, and one will retire soon because of it. He received a nonjudicial punishment because of the conflict of interest.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
