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General John R. Allen, a second top military official, was dragged in to the David Petraeus sex scandal early this morning after being accused of sending thousands of “inappropriate” emails to socialite Jill Kelley, who was responsible for exposing the former CIA director’s extra-marital affair.
General John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, is under investigation by the FBI after the agency discovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of communication between him and 37-year-old housewife Jill Kelley.
Jill Kelley entered the public eye when she was the target of threatening emails from Paula Broadwell, which the FBI used to uncover the affair between Broadwell and David Petraeus, leading to the former general’s resignation from the CIA.
John Allen, who succeeded David Petraeus in Afghanistan, was due to take over as NATO’s top commander, but his appointment has been suspended while his relationship with Jill Kelley is investigated.
Barack Obama had nominated John Allen to take over as chief of the military’s European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, but that nomination is now on hold as the Pentagon investigates Allen’s relationship with Kelley, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters.
He had been expected to take that new post in early 2013 if confirmed by the Senate, as had been widely expected.
The FBI notified the Pentagon of its investigation into John Allen’s communications with Jill Kelley on Sunday evening, an unnamed senior defence official said. Leon Panetta said he immediately notified the White House and top leaders in Congress of the investigation.
Leon Panetta said John Allen would remain as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan for now, “while the matter is under investigation and before the facts are determined”.
Pentagon officials have declined to comment on the nature of the relationship between Jill Kelley and John Allen, who is married, except to say that it was “potentially inappropriate”. Officials have not said whether any national security secrets were breached.
Adultery is classified as a crime in the military.
Jill Kelley has been in the news this week after it emerged that she was the target of harassing emails from Paula Broadwell, a 40-year-old mother of two from Charlotte, North Carolina who was engaged in an affair with David Petraeus.
Paula Broadwell sent Jill Kelley a half dozen emails from anonymous accounts earlier this year warning her to stay away from Petraeus. Paula Broadwell perceived Jill Kelley as a threat to her relationship with David Petraeus, which began in the summer of 2011 and ended the following summer.
Jill Kelley notified a friend of hers who worked for the FBI of the emails, and he referred the case to a cyber crimes unit.
That agent was later banned from the FBI’s investigation into the source of the emails when officials discovered that he was sending shirtless photographs to Jill Kelley and seemed to become “obsessed” with the case, the Wall Street Journal reported.
General John R. Allen was dragged into the David Petraeus sex scandal early this morning after being accused of sending thousands of inappropriate emails to Jill Kelley
Jill Kelley is a volunteer who organizes social events for military families in the Tampa area. She often hosts the events at her million-dollar Bayshore Boulevard home, which is located only a couple miles from MacDill Air Force base, where Allen served from July 2008 to June 2011.
John R. Allen, a four-star Marine general, succeeded David Petraeus as the top American commander in Afghanistan in July 2011.
A senior official told the Associated Press that 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails and other documents from Allen’s communications with Jill Kelley between 2010 and 2012 are under review.
He would not say whether they involved sexual matters or whether they are thought to include unauthorized disclosures of classified information. He said he did not know whether David Petraeus is mentioned in the emails.
“General Allen disputes that he has engaged in any wrongdoing in this matter,” the official said. He said John Allen currently is in Washington.
The FBI’s decision to refer the Allen matter to the Pentagon rather than keep it itself, combined with Leon Panetta’s decision to allow John Allen to continue as Afghanistan commander without a suspension, suggested strongly that officials viewed whatever happened as a possible infraction of military rules rather than a violation of federal criminal law.
John Allen was Deputy Commander of Central Command, based in Tampa, prior to taking over in Afghanistan. He also is a veteran of the Iraq war.
Leon Panetta said Barack Obama was consulted and agreed that John Allen’s nomination to the NATO post should be put on hold.
John Allen was to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. Leon Panetta said he asked committee leaders to delay that hearing.
Leon Panetta also said he wants the Senate Armed Services Committee to act promptly on Barack Obama’s nomination of General Joseph Dunford to succeed John Allen as commander in Afghanistan. That nomination was made several weeks ago. Joseph Dunford’s hearing is also scheduled for Thursday.
The White House faces growing demands from Capitol Hill for answers about what the FBI and President Barack Obama knew about the David Petraeus scandal and why the president was not informed about the months-long investigation until after his re-election.
The fact that David Petraeus, who was scheduled to give testimony on Thursday about CIA intelligence surrounding the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Libya, but now that appearance has been delayed because of his resignation on Friday.
As more information is released, it is clear that Representative Eric Cantor- one of the country’s most powerful Republicans- was notified of the investigation involving David Petraeus on October 27, more than a week before the election.
Federal investigators from the FBI and the Justice Department- including Barack Obama-appointee Attorney General Eric Holder- had been aware of the ensuing scandal for months
In addition to their displeasure at being left in the dark until just hours before David Petraeus made his very public announcement on Friday, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are concerned that the timeline of the various notifications was purposefully slowed down to allow for some degree of a cover-up over Petraeus’ scheduled testimony.
The timing of the Petraeus resignation and this week’s Benghazi hearings means the two issues have, for now, become inextricably linked.
As CIA director, David Petraeus is understood to have interviewed the CIA base chief and head of the CIA response team about what happened in Benghazi when Ambassador Chris Stevens, diplomat Sean Smith and CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were killed.
At the same time, Congress wants to know why, if senior FBI figures knew of the affair in the late summer, President Barack Obama was not informed until last week and, additionally, why leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence committees learned of the resignation from the media.
According to the White House, Barack Obama was not told of the FBI investigation and David Petraeus’ affair until last Thursday, even though he meets regularly with the head of the FBI.
Some Republicans have suggested there might be a cover-up over Benghazi or that the news was held back until after the election.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Representative Mike Rogers, a Republican and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, have expressed their dismay at not having been informed earlier.
General Michael Hayden, former CIA chief, said the timing of the resignation was “mysterious”.
He told Fox News: “Hanging out there is the requirement in law to keep the intelligence committees fully and currently informed about significant intelligence activity.
“It’s not surprising that Senator Feinstein and Chairman Rogers have shown a lot of pique at not being let in on this a bit earlier.”
According to the FBI, their investigation began in the spring when Jill Kelley, described as an unofficial “social liaison” to the Joint Special Operations Command in Tampa, told a friend in the FBI that she had received harassing emails from another woman.
Jill Kelley, who is Lebanese-born, and her husband Scott were friend of David Petraeus, 60, and his wife Holly. The FBI investigation established that Paul Broadwell, 40, a married mother of two, had sent the emails.
In monitoring Paula Broadwell’s emails, it was discovered that she was receiving emails of a sexual nature from a mysterious Gmail account.
It was eventually discovered that the mysterious emails were from David Petraeus, who admitted the affair.
CIA Director David Petraeus resigned on Friday November 9 citing an extramarital affair
On October 31st, however, and before anyone else on Capitol Hill or in the White House knew, the FBI friend of Jill Kelley contacted Representative Dave Reichert regarding concerns about national security and asking for a member of the Republican congressional leadership.
Dave Reichert directed the FBI man to Representative Eric Cantor, House Majority Whip, who spoke to him and then informed the FBI of the conversation.
Ronald Kessler, a Newsmax journalist, said he was informed of the affair and FBI investigation by an FBI source on October 10th. David Petraeus and Paul Broadwell were interviewed during the week of October 29th and both admitted their affair.
Paula Broadwell was interviewed again on November 2nd, at which time the FBI is said to have concluded that no charges would be brought either for cyber stalking or security breaches.
David Petraeus has told friends he did not have an affair with Jill Kelley, 37, a mother of three. In a statement issued on Sunday, Jill Kelley asked for privacy for her and her family and neither confirmed nor denied an affair.
Speaking on CBS, Senator Lindsey Graham, a personal and confidant of David Petraeus, said: “Well, if there`s no effect of the affair on national security, I think we need to move on. But at the end of the day, the one thing that has to happen, in my view, is we’ve got to get to the bottom of Benghazi.
“I hate what happened to General Petraeus for his family and the families for those involved, but we have four dead Americans in Benghazi. We have a national security failure long in the making.
“I don`t see how in the world you can find out what happened in Benghazi before, during, and after the attack if General Petraeus doesn`t testify, so from my point of view, it`s absolutely essential that he give testimony before the Congress so we can figure out Benghazi.”
He added: “I would suggest that we have a joint select committee of House and Senate members and we do this together, not have three different committee going off in three different directions, so we can get to the bottom of it like we did in Watergate and Iran Contra. I think that would be smart for the Congress to combine resources.”
Just as with Watergate, the central issue over events surrounding David Petraeus’ resignation is crystallizing into something similar to the one Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee famously asked during the Watergate hearings: “What did the President know and when did he know it.”
Neither Robert Mueller, FBI director, not Eric Holder, attorney general, has commented on when they learned of the investigation. Both the FBI and Justice Department has said no one in the White House was told of the investigation until last week.
Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor, compared what happened in Benghazi to Watergate and told Fox News it was essential David Petraeus testified. Even though he is now a private citizen, David Petraeus can be compelled to appear.
“The frustration is justified,” Rudy Giuliani said.
“And it’s in the national interest. Now we’re going to have a hearing next week, and the man who knows the facts, David Petraeus – he’s the only man who can really tell us what the CIA knew, what they did, why they did it, how they did it. He’s not going to testify.
“And this is a very convenient way to get the administration out of a very, very difficult situation. But is inevitable. This is like Watergate. This is inevitable. This is all going to come out.
“It may take a month, it may take five months, but this is all going to come out. And every single new cover-up they do just makes it much, much worse.”
Representative Peter King of New York, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on MSNBC that the FBI was “derelict in its duty” when it failed to tell the White House immediately when it learned of David Petraeus’s affair.
“Once the FBI realized that it was investigating the director of the CIA or the CIA director had come within its focus or its scope, I believe at that time they had an absolute obligation to tell the president. Not to protect David Petraeus, but to protect the president.
“The fact is he is a key part of the president’s foreign policy team, maybe more than any other CIA director in recent times.
“He was going around the world negotiating various understandings and agreements, I’m aware of that.
“And to have someone out there in such a sensitive position who the FBI thought perhaps could have been compromised or was under the scope of an FBI investigation who may or may not have been having an affair at the time, that to me had to have been brought to the president or certainly to the National Security Council. If not, the FBI was derelict in its duty.”
He added: “This is a crisis, I believe, of major proportions. This is not the usual political thing. We’re not talking about the secretary of commerce or some under secretary somewhere.”
Before meeting General David Petraeus, biographer Paula Broadwell was driven to succeed at a North Dakota high school, where she was named student council president and valedictorian.
Paula Broadwell, 40, was revealed late last week to be the woman who engaged in an extramarital affair with David Petraeus, forcing him to resign from his position as CIA director.
But in 1991, Paula Broadwell was known back then as Paula Kranz, who attended Century High School in Bismarck, where she was voted homecoming queen and “most likely to be remembered” in the school’s yearbook.
She also played lead violin in the school orchestra, dominated on the basketball court, and loved a newly-formed band called Cheap Thrillz.
Paula Broadwell, then Paula Kranz, was also regarded as an exceptional public speaker, with one telling caption under a Yearbook photo reading simply: “Paula Kranz gives one of her many speeches to an auditorium full of students.”
Her high school maxim was, the rather earnest: “God has given me all of these gifts to use to the best of my ability.”
Many people knew her for her numerous awards: the AUU/Mars Milky Way Foundation Scholar, All State Tournament for girls basketball, North Dakota State Student Council President, and a remarkable 36 other achievements.
She held nine leadership positions and was involved in four extra-curricular and community activities during her high school years.
But, as the past few days have shown, Paula Broadwell is only human, despite the promising high school record.
As one faculty member who knew Paula Broadwell said: “Sometimes her school work and friendships suffered a little from the lack of time she was able to put into them.”
But Paula Kranz apparently had no regrets. She told classmates at the time that her experiences “helped her form a broader perspective on life and on the world”.
Of the awards, the one that gave her the greatest satisfaction was making the All-State Basketball team, an honor that also made her father Paul Kranz proud – as he too was a hoops star.
“Working hard for something adds to the satisfaction of achieving that goal,” she told the Century High yearbook.
“I don’t feel I missed out on being a teenager; but through the many opportunities I’ve been given, I’ve lived life to the fullest – giving the best that I had so the best would come back.”
Paula Broadwell was known among her classmates as a go-getter who did not get sucked into the early 90s teen party scene.
Her homecoming king, Mike McCormick told the New York Post: “She was devoted and studied and worked hard to get good grades. She didn’t really go out and party like high-school kids do.”
It would be hard to imagine a more focused student or a High School record that spoke more of ambition than Paula’s.
Mike McCormick, 40, told the paper that he was surprised by the allegations that she carried on an extramarital affair with Gen David Petraeus as she followed him around while writing his biography.
The statement was echoed by friends of Paula Broadwell, who said the allegations of an affair with America’s top intelligence official was out of character.
In 1991, Paula Broadwell, then Paula Kranz, attended Century High School in Bismarck, where she was voted homecoming queen and most likely to be remembered in the school’s yearbook
David Bixler, a wounded soldier who met Paula Broadwell through a charity in 2010, told ABC News: “I have some serious questions about who is connecting these dots… Paula Broadwell is not the type… she isn’t.”
Paula Broadwell lives with her husband Scott, a radiologist, and their two children in a suburban Charlotte, North Carolina, neighborhood.
Ed Williams, a neighbor who lives two houses down from the Broadwell family in Charlotte, North Carolina, neighborhood, told Reuters: “Everyone is surprised and shocked.”
Paula Broadwell’s father Paul Kranz, a retired high school basketball coach, sprung to his daughter’s defense today.
Paul Kranz aid the shock of the past few days is “just the beginning of a process”.
He spoke briefly this morning on the snow-covered drive of his modest bungalow in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Paul Kranz said: “I’ve been advised by attorneys not to talk right now. This is private property.
“I hope you understand this is the beginning of a process. I can’t say more than that. I couldn’t if I wanted to.”
Paul Kranz is divorced from his wife and Paula’s mother Nadene Kranz, who lives in Boise, Idaho.
From Century High School, Paula Broadwell moved on to the West Point Military Academy in New York.
Paula Broadwell met David Petraeus in 2006 when she was a student at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the two casually exchanged emails for two years.
In 2008, Paula Broadwell bonded with David Petraeus while interviewing the four-star general during runs on the Potomac River as she pursued her Ph D in public policy.
“A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and his team along the Potomac River during one of his visits to Washington,” Paula Broadwell writes in the biography, titled All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.
“I figured I could interview him while we ran.”
Paula Broadwell explained that, after earning varsity letters in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track, she wanted to test him to see if he could keep up with her as she interviewed him.
“Instead it became a test for me,” she said.
“As we talked during the run from the Pentagon to the Washington Monument and back, Petraeus progressively increased the pace until the talk turned to heavy breathing and we reached a six-minute-per-mile pace. It was a signature Petraeus move.”
Promoting the book on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in January, Paula Broadwell insisted that these mile-long runs together were nothing out of the ordinary.
“This is a typical mechanism for him to get to know young people,” she said.
“He’s done it throughout his life. That was the foundation of our relationship.”
In another often awkward radio interview in January, host Don Imus said that the pair must have “obviously” liked each other.
Paula Broadwell responded: “You know, as I said earlier, he has a number of mentees and that’s one thing that’s different when you compare him to other Senior Commanders.
“But, yeah, we had a lot of rapport. I think some of that comes from a common ground of having gone to West Point [to the U.S. Military Academy].”
Of her reported rival, Holly Petraeus, Paula Broadwell added: “He is married to Holly Petraeus, who is a wonderful military spouse and done so much for their children and for children of fallen soldiers. I respect her immensely.”
The book’s description explains how Paula Broadwell conducted research for three years and was “afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates and his longtime friends”.
The book’s website adds Paula Broadwell was embedded in Afghanistan with David Petraeus for a year between July 2010 and 2011.
Paul Kranz, father of David Petraeus’ mistress Paula Broadwell, has defended his daughter as an “exceptional person”, saying he supports her 100 per cent after details of her sordid affair with the decorated general were made public.
David Petraeus’s relationship with Paula Broadwell, his biographer, was made public on Friday after an FBI investigation which suspected corruption between the pair.
Paula Broadwell’s father Paul Kranz, a retired high school basketball coach, suggested on Sunday that the explosive revelations that led to David Petraeus resigning as CIA director, have been used to cover up a bigger scandal.
Paul Kranz told the Daily News: “This is about something else entirely, and the truth will come out.”
Paula Broadwell’s father Paul Kranz, a retired high school basketball coach, suggested on Sunday that the explosive revelations that led to David Petraeus resigning as CIA director, have been used to cover up a bigger scandal
He refused to elaborate on the information at his home in Bismarck, North Dakota on Sunday, where he lives with his wife Nadene Kranz.
“This is about something else entirely, and the truth will come out,” Paul Kranz told the New York Daily News outside his home in Bismarck, North Dakota.
“There is a lot more that is going to come out. You wait and see. There’s a lot more here than meets the eye.”
He added: “I stand by my daughter. She is an exceptional person.”
Yet other members of Paula Broadwell’s family seemed much more shaken, revealing that they only learned of the alleged affair as they watched reports of David Petraeus’s dramatic resignation on Friday.
“They didn’t find out about the affair until they saw it on the news Friday night,” the grandmother of Paula Broadwell’s husband, Scott, added.
“Everyone’s reaction was shock. We were all shell-shocked.”
The grandmother, who would only identify herself by her first name, Sylvia, added Scott Broadwell’s parents “felt like the rug was pulled out from under them”.
David Petraeus quit his post as CIA director on Friday while offering an apology over the affair. He issued a statement acknowledging the affair after President Obama accepted his resignation, which was announced by the CIA soon after.
Members of US Congress said Sunday they want to know more details about the FBI investigation that revealed an extramarital affair between ex-CIA Director David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell, questioning when the retired general popped up in the FBI inquiry, whether national security was compromised and why they weren’t told sooner.
“We received no advanced notice. It was like a lightning bolt,” said Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The FBI was investigating harassing emails sent by David Petraeus biographer and girlfriend Paula Broadwell to a second woman. That probe of Paula Broadwell’s emails revealed the affair between her and David Petraeus. The FBI contacted David Petraeus and other intelligence officials, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper asked Petraeus to resign.
A senior U.S. military official identified the second woman as Jill Kelley, 37, who lives in Tampa, Florida, and serves as a social liaison to the military’s Joint Special Operations Command. The U.S. official said the coalition countries represented at the military’s Central Command in Tampa gave Jill Kelley an appreciation certificate on which she was referred to as an “honorary ambassador” to the coalition, but she has no official status.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the case publicly, said Jill Kelley is known to drop the “honorary” part and refer to herself as an ambassador.
The military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation, said Jill Kelley had received harassing emails from Paula Broadwell, which led the FBI to examine her email account and eventually discover her relationship with David Petraeus.
A former associate of David Petraeus confirmed the target of the emails was Jill Kelley, but said there was no affair between the two, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the retired general’s private life. The associate, who has been in touch with David Petraeus since his resignation, says Jill Kelley and her husband were longtime friends of Petraeus and wife, Holly.
David Petraeus resigned while lawmakers still had questions about the September 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate and CIA base in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Lawmakers said it’s possible that David Petraeus will still be asked to appear on Capitol Hill to testify about what he knew about the U.S. response to that incident.
David Petraeus resigned while lawmakers still had questions about the September 11 attack on the US Consulate and CIA base in Benghazi
Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the circumstances of the FBI probe smacked of a cover-up by the White House.
“It seems this [the investigation] has been going on for several months and, yet, now it appears that they’re saying that the FBI didn’t realize until Election Day that General Petraeus was involved. It just doesn’t add up,” said Peter King, R-N.Y.
David Petraeus, 60, quit Friday after acknowledging an extramarital relationship. He has been married 38 years to Holly Petraeus, with whom he has two adult children, including a son who led an infantry platoon in Afghanistan as an Army lieutenant.
Paula Broadwell, a 40-year-old graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and an Army Reserve officer, is married with two young sons.
David Petraeus’ affair with Paula Broadwell will be the subject of meetings Wednesday involving congressional intelligence committee leaders, FBI deputy director Sean Joyce and CIA deputy director Michael Morell.
David Petraeus had been scheduled to appear before the committees on Thursday to testify on what the CIA knew and what the agency told the White House before, during and after the attack in Benghazi. Republicans and some Democrats have questioned the U.S. response and protection of diplomats stationed overseas.
Michael Morell was expected to testify in place of David Petraeus, and lawmakers said he should have the answers to their questions. But Dianne Feinstein and others didn’t rule out the possibility that Congress will compel David Petraeus to testify about Benghazi at a later date, even though he’s relinquished his job.
“I don’t see how in the world you can find out what happened in Benghazi before, during and after the attack if General Petraeus doesn’t testify,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wants to create a joint congressional committee to investigate the U.S. response to that attack.
Dianne Feinstein said she first learned of David Petraeus’ affair from the media late last week, and confirmed it in a phone call Friday with Petraeus. She eventually was briefed by the FBI and said so far there was no indication that national security was breached.
Still, Dianne Feinstein called the news “a heartbreak” for her personally and U.S. intelligence operations, and said she didn’t understand why the FBI didn’t give her a heads up as soon as David Petraeus’ name emerged in the investigation.
“We are very much able to keep things in a classified setting,” she said.
“At least if you know, you can begin to think and then to plan. And, of course, we have not had that opportunity.”
Jason Clapper was told by the Justice Department of the Petraeus investigation at about 5 p.m. on Election Day, and then called David Petraeus and urged him to resign, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
FBI officials say the committees weren’t informed until Friday, one official said, because the matter started as a criminal investigation into harassing emails sent by Paula Broadwell to another woman.
Concerned that the emails he exchanged with Paula Broadwell raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with David Petraeus directly, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
David Petraeus decided to quit, though he was breaking no laws by having an affair, officials said.
Dianne Feinstein said she has not been told the precise relationship between David Petraeus and the woman who reported the harassing emails to the FBI.
Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, called David Petraeus “a great leader” who did right by stepping down and still deserves the nation’s gratitude. He also didn’t rule out calling David Petraeus to testify on Benghazi at some point.
“He’s trying to put his life back together right now and that’s what he needs to focus on,” Saxby Chambliss said.
The coterie of officers and advisers surrounding General David Petraeus had become suspicious of Paula Broadwell, now known to have been his mistress, due to her playful Facebook status updates they claim disclosed sensitive details of military operations in Afghanistan.
Paula Broadwell, the woman who penned David Petraeus’s biography and ultimately began a romantic relationship with the married 60-year-old, became a cause of concern back in 2009 when those in Petraeus’ inner circle saw her lighthearted postings on the social networking website.
Though Paula Broadwell was a West Point graduate and had served in Army intelligence, officers, unaware at the time of the extramarital liaison, thought she should have used better judgement and now see her inappropriate behavior in a new light – in the wake of the former CIA Director’s fall from grace.
Though hindsight is always 20/20, former David Petraeus aides told the Washington Post that Paula Broadwell’s behavior at the time seemed odd and her closeness to the notoriously straight-laced family man was not without controversy.
Without any specific examples of her Facebook postings, aides said they were stunned that Paula Broadwell was so free to describe her daily movements in Afghanistan on the networking site, so her friends back home could chronicle her adventures.
Another social media no-no occurred when Paula Broadwell posted a picture to her Facebook page of David Petraeus with actress Angelina Jolie, that had been captured at his 7th floor office at CIA headquarters, where only the official agency photographer is allowed.
It is believed David Petraeus had given the picture to Paula Broadwell but the break with protocol was uncharacteristic for someone in his position.
Officers have also revealed their shock at her frequent trips to Afghanistan to interview David Petraeus and the access she was granted to the Chief of Central Command, the role he assumed in 2008.
Paula Broadwell became a cause of concern back in 2009 when those in David Petraeus’ inner circle saw her lighthearted postings on Facebook
Others were having said to be unimpressed with her style and lack of journalistic know-how.
“Her credentials didn’t add up,” an unnamed former staff member, who had been interviewed by Paula Broadwell for her book All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, told the Washington Post.
“I was underwhelmed. It was surprising to me that she was his official biographer.”
Peter Mansoor, a former executive officer on David Petraeus’ staff, also told the Post that he found it “strange” that David Petraeus put so much trust in Paula Broadwell’s abilities.
“My gosh, if you are going to have someone interview everyone who has ever touched you in your life, choose someone who has written a biography or at least a history book,” he said.
Additionally, in the conservative culture of Kabul, aides said Paula Broadwell wore tight shirts and pants to display her figure to the best advantage.
“She was seemingly immune to the notion of modesty in this part of the world,” a general who served under David Petraeus in Afghanistan said.
But many who worked in close quarters with David Petraeus have said that few would have given credence to rumors of a torrid affair, given Petraeus’ solid reputation.
The sex scandal has only just come to light after Paula Broadwell, who is married with two young sons, allegedly accessed the general’s email account to send threatening emails to Jill Kelley, whom she accused of getting too close to him.
Paula Broadwell allegedly told the other paramour, believed to be an unpaid social liaison officer to military headquarters – Jill Kelley – to “back off” and “stay away” from the retired general in email communication uncovered by the FBI.
It has been claimed that Paula Broadwell used David Petraeus’ own Gmail account to send the emails, and when the FBI began to investigate a possible security breach, they instead uncovered the messages between the two sent from the decorated war hero’s own account – indicating an affair.
Sources say that after an investigation, Justice Department officials were unclear on how to proceed because no crime or breach of security had actually occurred.
James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, was informed of the incident and he reportedly advised David Petraeus to resign.
David Petraeus quit his post as director of the CIA on Friday while offering an apology for the affair.
Paula Broadwell, the woman at the center of the David Petraeus cheating scandal, was caught gazing at the former CIA director as he entered a congressional hearing with his wife Holly in a photograph from 2011.
General David Petraeus resigned in disgrace from his post at the CIA last week after it was revealed that he had an affair with Paula Broadwell, who is shown smiling and looking up at him in the image.
David Petraeus’s now humiliated wife of 38 years, Holly, is also shown in the photograph, walking slightly ahead of her husband.
The image was taken during a June 23, 2011 Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing on David Petraeus’s nomination to be director of the CIA.
The affair was discovered when Paula Broadwell, 40, sent a spate of threatening emails to 37-year-old Jill Kelley, who works for the State Department, warning her to “stay away” from David Petraeus.
Jill Kelley notified the FBI of the emails and their investigation revealed a number of sexually explicit emails between Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus, one of which referenced “sex under a desk”.
Paula Broadwell was caught gazing at David Petraeus as he entered a congressional hearing with his wife Holly in a photograph from 2011
Paula Broadwell often referred to the 60-year-old general as “peaches” in the emails, which was David Petraeus’s nickname in high school that stuck with him through his cadet years at West Point.
The nickname was a reflection of his wholesome character, according to a biography on him written in Vanity Fair.
At the time of the photograph it is thought that the affair between David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell was still continuing despite both being married with children.
David Petraeus issued a statement acknowledging the affair on Friday after President Barack Obama accepted his resignation, which was announced by the CIA soon after.
Jill Kelley is the woman who complained to the FBI about harassing emails from Paula Broadwell, the mistress of former CIA Director David Petraeus.
Jill Kelley, 37, of Tampa, Florida, is a State Department military liaison officer who appears to have a longstanding friendship with David Petraeus, who quit as CIA director in disgrace last week.
She lives in a $1.2million house with her husband Scott Kelley, a surgeon, and their three children.
Jill Kelley told FBI agents that Paula Broadwell, the 40-year-old biographer who has been identified as the ex-CIA boss’ mistress, sent her harassing emails telling her to “back off” David Petraeus.
An online picture album posted by the family talks about meeting David Petraeus at the family’s home.
Jill Kelley’s twin sister Natalie Khawam, David Petraeus, Scott and Jill Kelley, and Holly Petraeus watch the Gasparilla parade from the Kelley family’s front lawn in 2010
Jill Kelley works in the Joint Special Operations Command, a section of the U.S. Armed Forces that deals mostly with counter-terrorism.
The Joint Special Ops Command was directly involved in the mission that took out Osama bin Laden and the drone strike that killed radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
Details of the affair between David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell reportedly came to light during a FBI probe of the emails that she allegedly sent to Jill Kelley.
The new revelation raises the possibility that Paula Broadwell was growing increasingly jealous of a government employee whose job it was to keep in contact with David Petraeus.
Jill Kelley, who feared for her safety, contacted the FBI.
Jill Kelley is the woman who complained to the FBI about harassing emails from Paula Broadwell, the mistress of General David Petraeus.
Jill Kelley, 37, of Tampa, Florida, is a State Department military liaison officer who appears to have a longstanding friendship with Petraeus, who quit as CIA director in disgrace last week.
He lives with her husband Scott Kelley, a surgeon, and their three children.
An online picture album posted by the family talks about meeting David Petraeus at the couple’s home.
Jill Kelley works in the Joint Special Operations Command, a section of the U.S. Armed Forces that deals mostly with counter-terrorism.
The Joint Special Ops Command was directly involved in the mission that took out Osama bin Laden and the drone strike that killed radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
Details of the affair between David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell reportedly came to light during a FBI probe of the emails that she allegedly sent to Jill Kelley.
The new revelation raises the possibility that Paula Broadwell was growing increasingly jealous of a government employee whose job it was to keep in contact with David Petraeus.
Jill Kelley is the woman who complained to the FBI about harassing emails from Paula Broadwell, the mistress of General David Petraeus
Jill Kelley, a mother of three who feared for her safety, contacted the FBI.
A government official told the New York Post that the emails contained such language as: “I know what you did”, “back off” and “stay away from my guy”.
The official added: “[Paula Broadwell] clearly thought something was going on and thought she was in a <<lovers triangle>>.”
A person who knows both Jill Kelley and David Petraeus confirmed their friendship and said she saw him often.
David Petraeus broke off the steamy affair with Paula Broadwell before it was exposed by the FBI probe, according to friends of the retired general.
David Petraeus quit his post as CIA director in disgrace on Friday while offering an apology over the affair, allegedly with his biographer, Paula Broadwell – who allegedly sent a threatening email to another woman whom she felt was getting to close to him.
His apology came as reports show that the affair blew up in David Petraeus’ face after Paula Broadwell allegedly sent e-mails threatening Jill Kelley whom she accused of getting too close to him.
David Petraeus told friends that he had begun the affair with Paula Broadwell shortly after he had left the Army to begin his work with the CIA, according to ABC News.
Those close to Paula Broadwell are casting doubt over what she has been accused of.
David Bixler, a wounded soldier who met Paula Broadwell through a charity in 2010, told ABC: “I have some serious questions about who is connecting these dots… Paula Broadwell is not the type… she isn’t.”
Ed Williams, a neighbor who lives two houses down from the Broadwell family in Charlotte, North Carolina, neighborhood, told Reuters: “Everyone is surprised and shocked.”
Earlier in the week, Ed Williams, a retired editor, saw Paula Broadwell with her two children when she was voting in last week’s U.S. presidential election.
He told Reuters that Paula Broadwell appeared chatty and cheerful. Neighbors were working on putting together a belated party to celebrate the release of her book.
“She gave no indication all this was going on,” Ed Williams said.
Paula Broadwell is married to Dr. Scott Broadwell and has two young sons.
She had planned to celebrate her 40th birthday in Washington this weekend, with many reporters invited. Her husband Scott emailed guests to cancel the party.
It is also claimed that Paula Broadwell used David Petraeus’ own Gmail account to send the emails, and when the FBI began to investigate an obvious national security issue instead uncovered explicit messages between the two sent from the decorated war hero’s own account – indicating an affair.
Three senior law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case told the Washington Post that when David Petraeus’ name was raised in connection with the threatening emails, the FBI thought that security had been breached.
CIA officers long had expressed concern about Paula Broadwell’s unprecedented access to the director.
She frequently visited the spy agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to meet David Petraeus in his office, accompanied him on morning runs around the CIA grounds and often attended public functions as his guest, according to two ex-intelligence officials.
Investigating the threatening messages, FBI agents uncovered evidence that he and 40-year-old Paula Broadwell were involved in an extramarital affair.
FBI investigators first interviewed David Petraeus about what they had found two weeks ago and informed him that no criminal charges would be brought and no-one is thought to have discussed the possibility of his resignation.
President Barack Obama faced allegations of a major political cover-up last night over the resignation of CIA Director General David Petraeus, who had an affair with married Paula Broadwell.
The US Congress is expected to investigate claims that the affair was hushed up to protect Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
It is believed the affair was discovered by the FBI months ago, but not made public until after the election.
The FBI began an investigation in February after discovering the 60-year-old’s computer had been accessed by someone else – believed to be his 40-year-old mistress Paula Broadwell – prompting fears of a major security breach.
This led to the discovery of hundreds of explicit emails including one referring to “sex under a desk”.
A source said last night: “The real question is, what did the President know, and when?”
Frances Townsend, a former senior US government security official and now a member of the CIA Advisory Committee, said: “Whenever the FBI opens an investigation of a senior official they have to make notification of that, especially if there is an intelligence concern. It is hard to believe the White House did not know about this prior to the election.”
White House officials insist Barack Obama did not know of the affair until last Wednesday, the day after the election. He accepted David Petraeus’ resignation on Thursday, and the announcement was made on Friday.
Barack Obama faced allegations of a major political cover-up over the resignation of David Petraeus, who had an affair with Paula Broadwell
Some have alleged the scandal is a smokescreen to stop David Petraeus testifying before a Senate committee this week into the deaths of the US ambassador and three staff members in September in Benghazi, Libya. The White House has been accused of ignoring repeated warnings of an Al Qaeda terrorist attack on the embassy.
A senior Congressional staffer said last night: “What would he have told us? The resignation is incredibly convenient for the administration. Would he have revealed the CIA knew the Benghazi compound was under threat and Washington did nothing to secure it?”
Members of the House Intelligence Committee may still vote to subpoena David Petraeus and force him to testify.
The source added: “This could be another Watergate situation where it is not the event that brings down the president but the cover-up.”
Paula Broadwell began an affair with David Petraeus, married to his wife Holly for 37 years, when she was with him in Afghanistan in 2010 doing research for her biography, All In: The Education Of General David Petraeus.
She says they “bonded” over push-ups and five-mile runs in the deserts of Afghanistan.
“That was the foundation of our relationship. He goes all in to what he does,” Paula Broadwell said.
David Petraeus led American forces in Afghanistan and Iraq before taking charge of the CIA.
The driveway of biographer Paula Broadwell’s upmarket North Carolina home shows power-washed writing, which reads in a flourishing font: “Dad loves Mom”.
Behind the faded message, two silver cars are parked in the brick garage. A FedEx slip remains attached to the forest-green door.
But none of the Broadwells appear to be home a day after her alleged affair with CIA Director David Petraeus was sensationally revealed, forcing the shamed government official to resign.
The scholar, biographer, and West Point graduate who allegedly brought down former CIA director did not answer the door of her Charlotte-area home. It did not appear that her husband, radiologist Dr. Scott Broadwell, was home, either.
Reporters who were outside the couple’s $800,000 two-story brick home on Saturday got no response. According to the Associated Press, Paula Broadwell was planning on celebrating her 40th birthday this weekend in Washington, D.C.
Neighbor Ed Williams told the Charlotte Observer that he emailed Paula Broadwell on Friday following the news, asking if there was anything he could do to help. He told the paper that Paula Broadwell responded, saying that her family was alright, and to look after their house.
Ed Williams told the New York Daily News that he is “proud to have her as a neighbor”, adding: “She is a very smart and accomplished woman.”
Of her alleged indiscretion, the 70-year-old Dilworth resident said: “Life will go on. Sometimes people make mistakes that pain their lives.”
Reporters who were outside Paula Broadwell’s $800,000 two-story brick home in Charlotte on Saturday got no response
Other members of the Charlotte community were hurt by the news of David Petraeus. At a Veteran’s Day parade, military service member Andy Wallace told Charlotte 14 News: “That’s a tough pill to swallow, not only for the military, but for America.”
Indiscretions aside, Paula Broadwell has a series of accomplishments under her belt. A graduate of West Point Academy, she went on to travel to Afghanistan and conduct research at Harvard.
The FBI discovered the relationship by monitoring David Petraeus’ emails, after investigators were alerted that Paula Broadwell may have had access to his personal email account, two of the officials said.
Paula Broadwell wrote in the preface to All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, published by Penguin in January, that while at Harvard, Petraeus passed along his card and offered to help her academic work on leadership.
The book’s ranking on Amazon.com jumped from 76,792 on Friday to 111 by midday Saturday.
“I later discovered that he was famous for this type of mentoring and networking, especially with aspiring soldier-scholars,” Paula Broadwell wrote.
She added: “I took full advantage of his open-door policy to seek insight and share perspectives.”
Paula Broadwell is a research associate at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, according to her biography on Penguin’s website.
According to The Bismarck Tribune, she grew up in North Dakota and moved to Charlotte, more than three years ago with her husband and their two young sons.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus has offered an apology over his affair in an email to a friend, saying Friday night that he was “deeply sorry” for the pain he’s cause the nation and his own family, it was revealed today.
David Petraeus’ long-time friend told the Washington Post that the retired general was extremely sorry over his extramarital affair, allegedly with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.
His apology comes as reports show that David Petraeus’ career could have imploded Paula Broadwell allegedly sent threatening e-mails to another woman she suspected of being too close to him.
In fact, the as-yet unidentified woman could be the key to the entire scandal unfolding after it was claimed she contacted the FBI for protection after receiving frightening emails. Agents traced the threats to Paula Broadwell.
However, it is claimed that Paula Broadwell was using David Petraeus’ own Gmail account to send the emails and when the FBI began to investigate an obvious national security issue instead uncovered explicit messages between the two sent from the decorated war hero’s own account – indicating an affair.
Three senior law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case told the Washington Post that when David Petraeus’s name was raised in connection with the threatening emails the FBI thought that security had been breached.
Beginning their investigation into how the Director of the CIA’s personal email had been hacked, the FBI agents instead uncovered evidence that he and 40-year-old Paula Broadwell were involved in an extramarital affair.
FBI investigators first interviewed David Petraeus about what they had found two weeks ago and informed him that no criminal charges would be brought and no-one is thought to have discussed the possibility of his resignation.
But, according to the Washington Post, after an investigation Justice Department officials were unclear what to do next, because no crime had occurred nor breach of security.
Paula Broadwell allegedly sent threatening e-mails to another woman she suspected of being too close to David Petraeus
They contacted James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence and told him they had compromising material about David Petraeus.
James Clapper in turn spoke to David Petraeus and advised him to resign.
“Director Clapper learned of the situation from the FBI on Tuesday evening around 5 p.m.,” the intelligence official said to the Washington Post.
“In subsequent conversations with Director Petraeus, Director Clapper advised Director Petraeus to resign.”
Director James Clapper also added that he did not see the need for an internal investigation by the CIA, citing it as “a very personal matter, not a matter of intelligence”.
On Wednesday evening, Director James Clapper went to the White House and on Thursday morning President Barack Obama was informed.
Later on Thursday, David Petraeus arrived to see the President and offered his resignation, which was accepted on Friday.
The Washington Post has also reported that in an email message to a friend, David Petraeus apologized for his actions.
“He was deeply sorry for the pain he has caused his family,” the friend said.
“He also noted how much he loved his job at the agency. He said he really relished the intellectual challenge there.”
Paula Broadwell’s biography, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, was written with Vernon Loeb, a Washington Post editor, and published in January.
The resignation comes at a sensitive time. The administration and the CIA have struggled to defend security and intelligence lapses before the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others. It was an issue during the presidential campaign that ended with Barack Obama’s re-election Tuesday.
The CIA has come under intense scrutiny for providing the White House and other administration officials with talking points that led them to say the Benghazi attack was a result of a film protest, not a militant terror attack.
It has become clear that the CIA was aware the attack was distinct from the film protests roiling across other parts of the Muslim world.
Michael Morell rather than David Petraeus now is expected to testify at closed congressional briefings next week on the assault on the consulate in Benghazi, which occurred on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
David Petraeus, who turned 60 on Wednesday, has been married for 38 years to Holly Petraeus, whom he met when he was a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. She was the daughter of the academy superintendent. They have two children, and their son led an infantry platoon in Afghanistan.
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Holly Petraeus, the now humiliated wife of former CIA chief David Petraeus, sit just feet away from his mistress Paula Broadwell in June of last year, it was revealed today.
At the time of the photograph it is thought that the affair between the 60-year-old four-star general and his 40-year-old biographer was still continuing despite both being married with children.
And in a massive irony, both women are watching David Petraeus sit before the Senate Select Committee that confirmed his position as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency – the job he resigned from yesterday as a direct result of his affair.
But despite the public shaming of David Petraeus, one senior military source who worked with the former CIA Director leaves little room for doubt where those loyal to the general stand.
Blaming David Petraeus’ biographer and reported mistress, Paula Broadwell, for his downfall, the unnamed individual said that the 40-year-old author and West Point graduate went out of her way to “get her claws in him”.
Depicting Paula Broadwell as obsessed with using David Petraeus to further her own career, the unidentified source describes the married mother of two as a “shamless self-promoting prom queen”.
According to an interview the figure gave to businessinsider.com, Paula Broadwell latched onto David Petraeus soon after they met at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2006 as she was wrapping up her Master’s degree.
Holly Petraeus, the now humiliated wife of former CIA chief David Petraeus, sit just feet away from his mistress Paula Broadwell in June of last year
Claiming that Paula Broadwell used their shared backgrounds as West Point graduates and counterinsurgency experts to become close to David Petraeus, the source known as “James Downing” says that when news of the affair broke he realized immediately who it was with.
“It’s one of those things that, as soon as the announcement was made, I knew in an instant who it was,” said James Downing.
“Everything made sense. Who had exclusive access to him? Who wrote the hagiography on his life? Who framed their entire existence around his persona?”
Unflatteringly comparing her to Paula Jones the former Arkansas state employee who sued President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994, the source claims to have known Paula Broadwell for six years.
“When she started work on the bio she called me for background on one of the general’s previous deployments,” said James Downing.
“I probably gave her four hours or so, and we stayed in touch after that by email and an occasional phone call.”
However, over the course of those years and through her unfettered access to David Petraeus, James Downing claims that she underwent a dramatic shift in her personality.
“Over that time, she went from someone very likeable to a shameless self-promoting prom queen,” he said.
“A very disturbing shift in how she carried herself.
“If she knew P4 [Petraeus] was going to make an appearance at an event, she’d crash it without an invitation (she actually did this at the wedding of some close friends of mine) and photo bomb[ed] sic everyone there.”
The senior source who claims to know both parties, even made allowances for the retired four-star general whose policies allowed the U.S. to make a measured withdrawal from Iraq in 2011.
Even despite the Washington Post reporting that current and former U.S. military officials long had suspicions of David Petraeus being involved in infidelities.
“You’re a 60 year-old man and an attractive woman almost half your age makes herself available to you – that would be a test for anyone,” said James Downing.
A colleague of former CIA director David Petraeus offers some revealing details on how Paula Broadwell “got her claws into him”.
The unidentified senior military source told Business Insider that David Petraeus’s biographer, Paula Broadwell, relentlessly followed the married general to private events and “went from someone very likeable to a shameless self-promoting prom queen” in the years she spent profiling him for her book, All In.
“The timing of the rumors of the administration throwing him under the bus after the election is suspect, but in the end I believe she got her claws – so to speak – in him,” that source said.
“He had enough honor to know that a cover-up is much worse than a public admission.
“As a result, I think he can recover and continue to be a player on the national stage, but she’s toast. Her reputation is unrecoverable, in my opinion.”
David Petraeus was caught by investigators after exchanging sexually explicit emails with his 40-year-old mistress and bombarding her with thousands of messages even after she had broken off the affair.
The racy communications between the four-star general and Paula Broadwell were uncovered when the FBI began an investigation after suspecting corruption between the pair.
David Petraeus resigned on Friday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly.
He issued a statement acknowledging the affair after President Barack Obama accepted his resignation, which was announced by the CIA soon after.
“After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” he said in the statement.
“Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation.”
David Petraeus biographer, Paula Broadwell, relentlessly followed the married general to private events and went from someone very likeable to a shameless self-promoting prom queen
After being sworn in as CIA Director on September 6th, 2011, Paula Broadwell broke up with David Petraeus, but he continued to pursue her, sending her thousands of emails over the last few months – raising questions about his judgement which led in part to his resignation.
Paula Broadwell, who spent three years doing researching for her book, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan. Yet sources told NBC it is unlikely she will face criminal charges after the alleged hacking, stressing that David Petraeus himself is under no investigation.
Sources at the FBI said that the investigation of the former CIA boss began in spring of this year and that federal agents pored over his emails from that point and from when he was stationed in Afghanistan between July 4th 2010 and July 18th 2011.
David Petraeus met Paula Broadwell in 2006 at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as she was finishing up her Master’s degree there.
Paula Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, and their two young sons, Lucien and Landon.
New reports claim that Paula Broadwell’s husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, sent a letter to New York Times advice column The Ethicist back in July that revealed he knew of her affair with CIA Director David Petraeus.
That intriguing possibility has been raised after canny observers dug out the July 13th edition of Chuck Klosterman’s The Ethicist and pointed to extraordinary coincidences between one readers letter and the now scandalous love tryst.
Writing about a deepening relationship he knew his wife was having with a “government executive” whose job “is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership” the anonymous man offers up what could be considered in hindsight as striking information.
The letter writer explains that “exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort”, and asks The Ethicist whether it is OK for him to “suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project”.
Indeed, he seems pained to make it clear he believes the mission “must succeed” and wants to know if he should confront his wife in some way and “finally force closure” or if he should “suffer in silence for the next year or two”.
The reader tells The Ethicist that has “watched the affair intensify over the last year” – which matches the timeline of the affair from August 2011 until around several months ago.
However, some have questioned whether the coincidences are just that and if the letter really was penned by Scott Broadwell.
Slate writer Allison Benedikt asked: “What government executive is not having an affair with some guy’s wife?”
Another writer with the publication added: “Would anyone really repeatedly refer to heading the CIA as a <<project>>? Doesn’t sound quite right.”
Those supporting the belief that the letter came from Scott Broadwell, point to Chuch Klosterman’s insightful reply to the anonymous man’s dilemma.
He tells the letter writer that he should tell his wife he wanted to separate, “just as you would if she were sleeping with the mailman”.
He claims there is no reason to reveal the affair in a public fashion, but having offered this clear-cut advice he goes slightly further.
“The fact that you’re willing to accept your wife’s infidelity for some greater political good is beyond honorable,” replied Chuck Klosterman on July 13th to the letter.
“In fact, it’s so over-the-top honorable that I’m not sure I believe your motives are real.
“Part of me wonders why you’re even posing this question, particularly in a column that is printed in The New York Times.
“I halfway suspect you’re writing this letter because you want specific people to read this column and deduce who is involved and what’s really going on behind closed doors (without actually addressing the conflict in person).
“That’s not ethical, either.”
Paula Broadwell served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell
Heartbroken Husband or Whistleblower? The New York Times Letter in Full
“My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.)
I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity.
He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort.
My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed?
Should I be <<true to my heart>> and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me?” NAME WITHHELD
The contoversial resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus on Friday threatens to undermine next week’s hearings into the deadly attack at the U.S. Consulate in Libya, at which he was scheduled to testify.
David Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA following revelations he had engaged in an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell and acknowledging that he “showed extremely poor judgment”.
The highly-decorated general, 60, had recently traveled to Libya and the Middle East, and was to testify about the Benghazi attack next week behind closed doors to the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Fears have also emerged as his resignation comes at an extremely sensitive time. The administration and the CIA have struggled to defend security and intelligence lapses before the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others.
It was an issue during the presidential campaign that ended with Barack Obama’s re-election Tuesday.
David Petraeus had led the CIA for only 14 months. His sudden departure threatened to usher in a period of instability at the spy agency, which is grappling with a leveling off in its budget after a decade of steady increases.
The agency is also fending off questions about its performance before and after the attack that led to the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi, Libya.
U.S. officials insisted that the CIA’s handling of the Benghazi incident had nothing to do with David Petraeus’ decision to resign.
The CIA has come under intense scrutiny for providing the White House and other administration officials with talking points that led them to say the Benghazi attack was a result of a film protest, not a militant terror attack.
It has become clear that the CIA was aware the attack was distinct from the film protests roiling across other parts of the Muslim world.
Michael Morell rather than David Petraeus now is expected to testify at closed congressional briefings next week on the September 11 attacks on the consulate in Benghazi.
According to the New York Times, David Petraeus told the White House of the affair, only one day after Barack Obama secured a second term in the White House.
The president did not immediately accept it, aides told the Times, and only reluctantly agreed to it on Friday.
David Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA following revelations he had engaged in an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell
News Corps’ Rupert Murdoch was one of masses who took to Twitter to voice his opinion. The 81-year-old Aussie wrote: “Petraeus resignation. Timing, everything suspicious. There has to be more to this story.”
Chiming in with her own conspiracy theory, conservative talk show radio host Laura Ingraham wrote: “CIA Chief Petraus resignation…something about this stinks to high heaven.”
She added: “COINCIDENCE?! Petraeus is set to testify NEXT week at a closed door session on Capitol Hill about Benghazi. Did BHO push him out? This stinks!”
But some, like Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, reacted to the news in a very forgiving fashion.
“Turns out Petraeus is (sic) human being. And of course we definitely can’t have human beings in government!” she wrote.
For the director of the CIA, being engaged in an extramarital affair is considered a serious breach of security and a counterintelligence threat.
If a foreign government had learned of the affair, the reasoning goes, David Petraeus or the person with whom he was involved could have been blackmailed or otherwise compromised. Military justice considers conduct such as an extramarital affair to be possible grounds for court martial.
Failure to resign also could create the perception for the rank-and-file that such behavior is acceptable.
At FBI headquarters, spokesman Paul Bresson declined to comment on the information that the affair had been discovered in the course of an investigation by the bureau.
In a statement from the president, Barack Obama said: “I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission.”
But there is no indication that he broke any agency rule in connection with his admitted affair, sources familiar with the matter said.
The CIA has no broad rule banning officials from engaging in extramarital affairs, though if discovered, liaisons by CIA personnel with suspected foreign agents would pose security problems for a U.S. spy.
Barack Obama, who accepted David Petraeus’ resignation in a phone call with him Friday afternoon, said that Michael Morell, the agency’s long-time deputy director, would serve as acting CIA chief.
Michael Morell, who is well respected at both the White House and on Capitol Hill, had previously served as acting director following the departure of former CIA chief Leon Panetta.
He is a leading candidate to be David Petraeus’ permanent successor, sources said.
Other possible candidates being discussed on Capitol Hill include John Brennan, Barack Obama’s chief counter-terrorism adviser; Obama national security adviser Thomas Donilon; and former congresswoman Jane Harman, who chaired the House intelligence committee.
David Petraeus’ resignation also adds a new vacancy on Barack Obama’s national security team. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she will leave after Barack Obama’s first term, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is widely expected to leave as well.
David Petraeus’ wife, Holly, has been an advocate for U.S. veterans and head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Last month, David and Holly Petraeus appeared together at a reception at the Canadian Embassy in Washington to celebrate the premiere of the Ben Affleck film Argo, which chronicles a successful operation in which the CIA and Canadian diplomats smuggled a group of U.S. officials out of Tehran during the 1979-80 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.
In a letter to the CIA workforce, David Petraeus said that he met with Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday and asked “to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position”.
“After being married for 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” David Petraeus wrote.
“Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.”
Barack Obama, who was re-elected to a second term on Tuesday, said in a statement that he accepted David Petraeus’ resignation, praising him for his work at the CIA and for leading U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The sudden and dramatic turn of events appeared to end the public career of a widely admired man who played a key role in the Iraq war, led the U.S. Central Command and commanded U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
David Petraeus’ name had circulated speculatively as a possible Republican presidential nominee before Barack Obama tapped him as CIA chief. Before taking the CIA post, he retired as an Army general after nearly four decades of military service.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus sent his mistress Paula Broadwell a sexually explicit email about having sex under a desk and continued to pursue her even after she had broken off the affair it has been revealed.
The racy communications between the married four-star general and his lover, Paula Broadwell, were uncovered when the FBI began an investigation after they suspected corruption between the pair.
Instead the FBI found evidence of a potentially compromising affair for America’s top intelligence official which would have been a breach of national security requirements and led to David Petraeus’ dramatic resignation yesterday.
David Petraeus stepped down yesterday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly – behavior he explained was ‘unacceptable’ for a senior administration official.
The affair was uncovered after the FBI launched an investigation into the biographer, Paula Broadwell, for allegedly hacking into the former general’s email, NBC News and Slate reported.
Paula Broadwell, who researched the book All In for three years, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan
Paula Broadwell, who researched the book All In for three years, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan. Yet sources told NBC it is unlikely she will face criminal charges after the alleged hacking, stressing that David Petraeus himself is under no investigation.
He first met Paula Broadwell six years ago when he addressed students at Harvard University, where she is a researcher, and they eventually got to know each other better during mile-long runs.
Paula Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, and their two young sons, Lucien and Landon.
CIA Director David Petraeus resigned on Friday after allegedly having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, it has been claimed.
The alleged affair was uncovered after the FBI launched an investigation into the biographer, Paula Broadwell, for allegedly hacking into the former general’s email, NBC News and Slate reported.
Paula Broadwell, who researched the book All In for three years, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan. Yet sources told NBC it is unlikely she will face criminal charges after the alleged hacking, stressing that David Petraeus himself is under no investigation.
David Petraeus stepped down yesterday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly – behavior he explained was “unacceptable” for a senior administration official.
He first met Paula Broadwell six years ago when he addressed students at Harvard University, where she is a researcher, and they eventually got to know each other better during mile-long runs.
Paula Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, and their two young sons, Lucien and Landon.
In the biography, Paula Broadwell revealed she first met David Petraeus during his visit to Harvard in spring 2006 when he was a Commander at Fort Leavenworth.
“I was among the students invited by the school to meet with the general at a dinner afterward, because of my military background,” she explained.
“I introduced myself to then–Lieutenant General Petraeus and told him about my research interests; he gave me his card and offered to put me in touch with other researchers and service members working on the same issues.”
Paul Broadwell added that this was not a one-off as he often “does a lot of mentoring”.
As she pursued her PhD in public policy in 2008, she contacted him to ask if she could interview him and they kept in touch via email.
“A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and his team along the Potomac River during one of his visits to Washington,” she wrote.
“I figured I could interview him while we ran.”
Paula Bradwell explained that, after earning varsity letters in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track, she wanted to test him to see if he could keep up with her as she interviewed him.
“Instead it became a test for me,” she said.
“As we talked during the run from the Pentagon to the Washington Monument and back, Petraeus progressively increased the pace until the talk turned to heavy breathing and we reached a six-minute-per-mile pace. It was a signature Petraeus move.”
Paula Broadwell served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell
Promoting the book on The Daily Show with John Stewart in January, she insisted that these mile-long runs together were nothing out of the ordinary.
“This is a typical mechanism for him to get to know young people,” she said.
“He’s done it throughout his life. That was the foundation of our relationship.”
In another often awkward radio interview in January, host Don Imus said that the pair must have “obviously” liked each other.
She responded: “You know, as I said earlier, he has a number of mentees and that’s one thing that’s different when you compare him to other Senior Commanders.
“But, yeah, we had a lot of rapport. I think some of that comes from a common ground of having gone to West Point [to the U.S. Military Academy].”
Of her reported rival, she added: “He is married to Holly Petraeus, who is a wonderful Military spouse and done so much for their children and for children of fallen soldiers, I respect her immensely.”
The book’s description explains Paul Broadwell conducted research for three years and was “afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates and his longtime friends”. Its website adds Paula Broadwell was embedded in Afghanistan with David Petraeus for a year between July 2010 and 2011.
Paula Broadwell graduated with honors from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, and came top of her class in physical fitness. David Petraeus also attended the academy and married his wife Holly there.
She has more than a decade of military service and nearly two decades of work in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
Paula Broadwell is studying for her PhD at Kings College in London, and is also a research associate at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership. For her studies and the biography, she spent most of 2011 in Afghanistan as an embedded author.
As well as contributing to book chapters, appearing on television interviews and writing opinion pieces for The New York Times and the Boston Globe about leadership and women in defense, she has also worked as a model and demonstrator for KRISS, a .45 caliber machine gun manufacturer.
Last week, Paula Broadwell wrote an article entitled David Petraeus’s Rules for Living in Newsweek.
One read: “We all will make mistakes. The key is to recognize them and admit them, to learn from them, and to take off the rear view mirrors – drive on and avoid making them again.”
David Petraeus had been sworn in as head of the CIA in September 2011 after serving as head of the coalition forces first in Iraq and then in Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama accepted David Petraeus’ resignation but described him as “one of the outstanding General officers of his generation” as he added: “By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.”
Deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting head of the agency until a permanent replacement for David Petraeus is appointed.
In his resignation letter addressed to CIA agents, david Petraeus wrote that “such behavior is unacceptable” for a senior administration official.
The fact of an affair would not in itself normally merit a resignation, unless the affair created a security risk, for instance if it was with a foreigner or a journalist. Blackmail would also be an issue, though publicly admitting the affair would prevent that.
An affair with a subordinate CIA employee might make a resignation almost inevitable – or it is possible that David Petraeus stepped down because he felt his leadership and integrity had been compromised.
One of the most puzzling aspects of the resignation is its proximity to next week’s congressional hearings on Benghazi, which David Petraeus has said he will not now attend, even though being out of office would not preclude his doing so.
David Petraeus admitted he had shown “extremely poor judgement” in the letter he sent to his CIA colleagues confirming that he was stepping down.
He added that it had been “the greatest of privileges” to work at the agency, saying: “Teddy Roosevelt once observed that life’s greatest gift is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing.”
David Petraeus, 60, has been married to Holly, née Knowlton, since 1975, after they meet when he was a military cadet at West Point and she was the daughter of the academy’s superintendent.
When he was sworn in as director of the CIA by Vice President Joe Biden, Holly held the Bible on which he swore his oath of office.
Holly Petraeus is head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs, a department of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which is responsible for ensuring members of the military are not taken advantage of by banks and other financial businesses.
The official offered his resignation to Barack Obama on Thursday, and the President accepted the offer on Friday.
Barack Obama issued a statement thanking David Petraeus for his “extraordinary service”, saying he had “served with characteristic intellectual rigor, dedication, and patriotism”.
CIA director David Petraeus has resigned from his post after admitting an extramarital affair.
In a statement, David Petraeus said he had submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama, and that he had shown “extremely poor judgement”.
He described his behavior as “unacceptable” for the leader of the nation’s main intelligence agency.
David Petraeus became CIA boss in 2011 after heading international forces in Iraq, then in Afghanistan.
He was the highest-profile military officer of the post-9/11 years, winning plaudits for his role running the “surge” in Iraq and implementing a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan.
David Petraeus’ resignation came just three days after President Barack Obama’s re-election, and prompted a flurry of statements from the White House, intelligence community and General Petraeus himself.
Announcing his decision to stand down, the former general was full of contrition.
“After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extra-marital affair,” David Petraeus said in a statement.
“Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation.”
Barack Obama’s statement said Mr Petraeus had “provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades”, citing both his time as CIA director and service to the military.
“By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.”
“Going forward, my thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus, who has done so much to help military families through her own work.”
CIA deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting director of the agency, the White House confirmed.
James Clapper, director of national intelligence, thanked David Petraeus for his decades of service: “Dave’s decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation’s most respected public servants.
“I have spent more than five decades serving our country-in uniform and out-and of all the exceptional men and women I have worked with over the years, I can honestly say that Dave Petraeus stands out as one of our nation’s great patriots.”
CIA director David Petraeus has been married to Holly since 1975
David Petraeus is believed to have feared that his infidelity would eventually become public, and therefore took the decision to quit before he was forced out.
Extra-marital affairs are considered particularly damaging for intelligence officials due to the confidential nature of their work and the risk they could leak national security secrets.
David Petraeus, 60, has been married to Holly, née Knowlton, since 1975, after they meet when he was a military cadet at West Point and she was the daughter of the academy’s superintendent.
When he was sworn in as director of the CIA by Vice President Joe Biden, Holly held the Bible on which he swore his oath of office.
David Howell Petraeus is a retired U.S. Army four-star general and the most celebrated American soldier of his time.
Known as a scholar and a warrior, the West Point graduate is admired as much for his intellect as his tactical ability and charisma on the battlefield.
He oversaw the crafting of the successful 2006 U.S. counterinsurgency measures in Iraq and accepted without hesitation Barack Obama’s request to leave Central Command in 2010 and lend his expertise to the failing international effort in Afghanistan.
Spending 37 years in the military, David Petraeus retired from service and took up his post as director of the CIA on September 6, 2011.
Born in Cornwall-on-Hudson in New York in 1952, David Petraeus is the son of small town librarian Miriam and Sixtus, a sea captain who had emigrated from the Netherlands.
Immediately upon his graduation from high school in 1970 he enrolled as a cadet at West Point Military Academy where he served with distinction – graduating in the top five of his class in 1974.
Just after his graduation he married Holly Knowlton, daughter of West Point superintendent General William A. Knowlton.
Despite his close working relationship with Barack Obama and other Democratic officials, David Petraeus was spoken of as a possible running mate for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney this year.
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