[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] This morning, a debate is raging about a hero. Not over what he did, that is undeniably heroic, but the fact that he is talking about it. A former Navy SEAL is creating shock waves by declaring he fired the fatal shots that killed Osama bin Laden.
[Michaela Pereira, Cnn Anchor:] Robert O'Neill told the "Washington Post" he didn't think he'd survive the 2011 raid on the terror chief's compound. He says his telling the story has brought peace to some 911 families. Yet, O'Neill is being criticized by some who say he broke this unspoken code by drawing attention to his service. Our Brian Todd is following the story for us from Washington. First of all, I think let's look at the facts. What are you hearing from your sources about his claims?
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Michaela, John, there are sources disputing Robert O'Neill's claim he fired the kill shot at Osama bin Laden. Sources in SEAL Team Six, that's the team that conducted the bin Laden raid, have told our national security analyst, Peter Bergen, that it was not Robert O'Neill who fired the kill shot. Those sources are telling us that it was a man they call the point man who has not revealed his identity and who Peter Bergen says will never reveal his identity. They say that man fired the shot at bin Laden from the top of the stairs leading to the third floor where bin Laden's bedroom was, that he fired the shot from the stairs as bin Laden was peering out his bedroom door, clipped bin Laden there with a fatal wound, presumably to his head, and once bin Laden fell over, mortally wounded, then two other SEALs came into the room and finished bin Laden off. According to those sources, Robert O'Neill was one of those two SEALs who finished bin Laden off when he was mortally wounded and Matt Bissonnette, the author of the book "No Easy Day" was the other. But neither of them, according to sources from SEAL Team Six who spoke to Peter Bergen, neither of the men were the man who fired the fatal shot that killed Osama bin Laden, they say that was an unnamed SEAL they call the point man.
[Berman:] As you say, Brian, the point man, who will never reveal his name or come forward
[Todd:] That's right.
[Berman:] which is the issue here is, should these Navy SEALs who are bound by an unspoken code here not to talk about their duties, should they be talking. Earlier today, the Pentagon spokesman, Admiral John Kirby, spoke about this code of silence. Listen to what he said.
[Real Admiral John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary:] There's a code in that community that you don't talk about what you do and you don't try to get financial gain off of your operations. So it's disappointing that some have sought to do that. I won't speak to the specifics in this. Some of these things are, as you know, still being investigated. But it's it does violate a code of ethics that this community holds dear and 99 percent of them live by that code.
[Berman:] There is a flip side, Brian, too, isn't there? Generals, admirals, plenty of people retire from the military and government service and go on and write books. Nevertheless, how is this going public being received inside the SEAL community?
[Todd:] Not very well, John. There's a real brotherhood inside the SEAL community and a lot of SEALs who we talked to, former SEALs, have said that these two men have broken the code there and are not necessarily welcome back into that brotherhood. And it's not so much even an unspoken or unwritten code, it's been written about and spoken about just this week or last week. Admiral Lowsy, the SEAL team commander, wrote a letter to current and former SEALs saying, listen, do not break the SEAL ethos, is what he said. And the quote is, "The SEAL ethos is I do not advertise the nature of my work nor seek recognition for my actions." And the admiral warned of, quote, "judicial consequence" if you do break that code. You could be criminally prosecuted for it. Matt Bissonnette, the author of the book "No Easy Day," is under criminal investigation for possibly divulging classified information in paid speeches and other avenues. So his lawyer says he did not do that, that he's not guilty of that. But he is under criminal investigation for that. So not only is there an ethos, but you could be prosecuted for doing this kind of thing.
[Pereira:] And that's a very real thing to be worried about.
[Brian:] Right.
[Pereira:] It's interesting, as we talk about the loyalty that is such a part of this world, a part of the Navy SEALs, and to many this seems absolutely disloyal. Brian Todd, thanks so much for that. We appreciate it. We'll watch it obviously with you.
[Berman:] Ahead for us at this hour, just an awful attack in a Minnesota hospital caught on video. A patient on a rampage. We'll talk about violence inside health care facilities.
[Pereira:] Later on, Willie Nelson talking about weed. He's talking about politics and the White House. He talks about it with our Brooke Baldwin.
[Berman:] That's quite a tease right there.