Mark Esper, the former United States Secretary of Defense has opened a lawsuit against the Pentagon after the military redacted portions of his memoir that delved into his time serving as Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump in 2020. The book “A Sacred Oath”, allegedly provides “behind-the-scenes details” regarding the latter half of Trump’s first term and could reveal much of Esper’s side of the story leading up to his dismissal as Secretary after the 2020 election.
Precisely what portions of the Esper memoirs have been redacted is unknown at this time, however, we do know that this took place after Esper submitted the book for pre-publication review to the DoD in accordance with the law. Subsequently, on Sunday, Nov. 29th his attorney Mark Zaid publicly announced the lawsuit’s filing on Esper’s behalf in the Washington, D.C. Federal District Court asking the court’s relief to reverse the Dept. of Defense’s redactions.
Details of The Esper Lawsuit
In a formal statement posted to Twitter, Zaid wrote on Esper’s behalf,
“The American people deserve a full an unvarnished accounting of our nation’s history, especially the more difficult periods. My memoir- A Sacred Oath- offers important details and new insights into many of the most controversial events that occurred during the tumultuous second half of the Trump Administration. As part of my lawful obligations and lifelong commitment to protecting national security, I submitted my manuscript to the Defense Department for review. For nearly six months, I patiently followed the formal process, only to have my unclassified manuscript arbitrarily redacted without clearly being told why. I am more than disappointed the current administration is infringing on my First Amendment constitutional rights. And it is with regret that legal recourse is the only path now available for me to tell my full story to the American people.”
In a follow-up tweet, Zaid explained that “Secretary #Esper‘s book covers everything from domestic issues such as DoD’s handling of COVID, WH management of civil unrest & int’l issues such as Iran, Germany, China, Venezuela & Russia. It goes behind scenes of #Esper‘s increasingly contentious relationship w/Trump’s WH”
Zaid is well-known for defending Lt. General H.R. McMaster, anti-Trump turncoat Lt. Col. Anthony Vindman, and Fmr. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton in similar cases regarding their own shameless cash-grabs …er ‘tell-all’ books. “Secretary Esper is the highest-ranking former official to ever sue the U.S. government for censoring his First Amendment rights,” Zaid told the Washington Examiner. “It is imperative that the public fully understands what our government has been up to, especially during times of turmoil.” It is unlikely that Biden’s DoD would hold back content that could harm Trump’s image. Is it possible that the redacted portions could vindicate Trump and jeopardize the left’s January 6th “insurrection” narrative?
