Robert Barnett hired by David Petraeus to help him navigate the fallout from a career-ending affair
Former CIA Director General David Petraeus has hired Robert Barnett, a top Washington lawyer, to help him navigate the fallout from a career-ending affair, Reuters has confirmed.
Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly, is known for negotiating book deals for the political elite, from President Barack Obama to one-time vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Robert Barnett will help David Petraeus as he exits government, Reuters confirmed.
The news was first reported by Politico, which said that no book is planned.
The CIA, the Justice Department and Congress are investigating David Petraeus’ conduct over the extra-marital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.
David Petraeus has said his resignation was solely because of the affair and that he did not give classified information to Paula Broadwell.
Robert Barnett has been a partner at Williams& Connolly in Washington for 34 years, according to a biography of him posted on the firm’s website.
In that time, he has built an unconventional practice representing best-selling authors, political leaders, television news correspondents and other high-profile clients.
David Petraeus has hired Robert Barnett, a top Washington lawyer, to help him navigate the fallout from a career-ending affair
In addition to Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, other authors he has represented include novelist Mary Higgins Clark and entertainer Barbra Streisand.
Robert Barnett has also helped former government officials from across the political spectrum navigate their return to private life, including former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, and former members of Congress.
He joined Williams & Connolly in 1975 and became a partner in 1978.
The news of David Petraeus attaining council comes the day after the White House announced that it did not heavily alter talking points about the attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya, an official said on Saturday.
“If there were adjustments made to them within the intelligence community, that’s common, and that’s something they would have done themselves,” Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, told reporters.
“The only edit … made by the White House was the factual edit as to how to refer to the facility.”
After a closed-door hearing with former CIA Director David Petraeus on Friday, Republican Representative Peter King said that unclassified talking points prepared by the CIA for use by lawmakers about the September 11 attack originally pointed specifically to al Qaeda involvement. Peter King said they were edited before being cleared for use.
Ben Rhodes said the White House, and also the State Department, changed references to a “conflict” at diplomatic facilities, “because the conflict in Benghazi was not formally a conflict. Other than that we worked off the points that were provided by the intelligence community, so I can’t speak to any other edits that may have been made”.