Bubba the Love Sponge and Jill Kelley: how Florida socialite waded into diplomatic row over his threat to deep fry a Koran

Just like many other four-star generals and national intelligence chiefs, Bubba the Love Sponge had dealings with Tampa socialite and some-time honorary consul for South Korea, Jill Kelley.

Adding a tawdry new level to the Petraeus scandal, it has emerged that 37-year-old Jill Kelley and Bubba the Love Sponge, real name Todd Alan Clem, crossed paths when she involved herself in a spat over the radio host’s claims that he was going to deep fat fry a Koran earlier this year.

Bubba the Love Sponge has recently been in the news for settling a lawsuit with Hulk Hogan after he allegedly filmed the legendary wrestler and his then wife Heather Clem having sex and released it online.

When the Florida shock jock threatened to deep fat fry a Koran, General John Allen , the commander of the U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan and CIA Director David Petraeus both spoke to social climbing Jill Kelley asking to help them with a potential threat to the safety of serving American troops.

Emails released yesterday sent between Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Jill Kelley reveal that she was indeed acting at the behest of high-level U.S. government officials and implored the mayor to act.

“I have Petraeus & Allen both emailing me about getting this dealt with,” Jill Kelley wrote to Bob Buckhorn on March 7th.

The previous day, Jill Kelley told Bobb Buckhorn of similar requests she had received from General John Allen and Vice Admiral Robert Harward, deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command in Tampa.

“I just got off the phone with Gen. Allen & Adm Harward,” Jill Kelley wrote.

 “I’m going to need your assistance, vice versa with the potential crises we’ll be dealing with.”

When Bob Buckhorn responded to say it was being dealt with, Jill Kelley said: “They asked me to get involved, like I did when it happened with the Pastor last year.”

The emails offer proof that Jill Kelley may not have been boasting of her contacts with high level military figures and indeed show that she was in regular communication with General John Allen and David Petraeus.

This episode with Bubba the Love Sponge came right before she complained to a FBI agent about threatening emails she was receiving from Paula Broadwell who began an inquiry that uncovered her affair with the retired four-star general.

In addition the resignation of David Petraeus as CIA Director triggered a separate investigation that found “potentially inappropriate” email correspondence between General John Allen and Jill Kelley.

At the time of Jill Kelley’s emails about Bubba the Love Sponge military officials genuinely concerned that a Koran being deep fat fried would have disastrous consequences for U.S. troops serving in Muslim countries.

“It was absolutely a concern,” said Lt. Col. T.G. Taylor, CentCom spokesman to NBC News.

Revealing that he called Bubba the Love Sponge himself, T.G. Taylor said he told him: “Look Bubba, somebody’s going to get hurt if you do this.”

He was “completely reasonable and said he understood”, T.G. Taylor added.

The disc jockey told the Tampa Bay Times that he abandoned his plans to deep fat fry because a local law enforcement officer told him of the dangers to U.S. troops.

Reveling in his new found connection to the highest echelons of U.S. military power, Bubba the Love Sponge ordered one of his radio shows trucks to circle Jill Kelley’s Tampa home today playing a parody to the tune of Falco’s Rock me Amadeus about David Petraeus.

At the end of October, former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan settled a lawsuit with Bubba the Love Sponge over a sex tape involving Hogan and the DJ’s wife.

After the agreement between the former best friends, Hulk Hogan’s publicist said the terms of the settlement were confidential.

Hulk Hogan said in the lawsuit filed in October that he had consensual sex with his best friend’s wife, Heather Clem, six years ago in the Clems’ home, but he didn’t know he was being videotaped.

The disc jockey, Bubba the Love Sponge, apologized to Hulk Hogan and said that he’s convinced Hogan was unaware he was being filmed.

A lawsuit is still pending against the gossip website Gawker, which put excerpts of the video on its site.