Consider what Kyle’s publisher
wrote after his tragic passing: “He dedicated his life in recent years to supporting veterans and
donated the proceeds of American Sniper to the families of his fallen friends” (italics mine). An article in the
Blaze definitively
proclaimed: “A perfect reflection of his character, Kyle
gave all proceeds from his best-selling book American Sniper to the families of soldiers killed in combat” (italics mine). Or this line from a
Human Events article: “For American Sniper, Kyle donated the profits from that book to charity.” Kyle himself perpetuated this idea, telling the same proceeds-went-to-charity tale to the
Texas News Service and even adding that he regularly received tearful calls and letters of thanks.
And now for the kicker: It isn’t true. Out of the staggering $3 million that
American Sniper collected in royalties for Kyle, only $52,000 actually went to the families of fallen servicemen.
:
A jury, with far more information than we the public have (including the chance to listen to witness testimony and watch Kyle’s deposition), essentially found that Kyle lied. The fact that many conservatives are furiously shaking their heads, refusing to accept this, and taking it even further by attacking Ventura for daring to clear his name is extremely disturbing. Ventura is the jerk for suing to restore his reputation — not Chris Kyle for lying and making an easy target sound like a demon, for the sake of financial gain and publicity.
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