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Former CIA director David Petraeus has reached a plea deal with the US Department of Justice in which he will admit to mishandling classified materials.
It ends a long investigation into whether he provided secret information to his mistress Paula Broadwell.
David Petraeus resigned from his post at the CIA in 2012, after it emerged he was having an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell.
A DoJ statement said a plea agreement had been filed.
The deal means that David Petraeus will plead guilty to one count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, but could avoid an embarrassing trial.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, the New York Times reported.
Photo AP
The retired four-star general was in charge of America’s recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was once considered a contender for the Republican presidential ticket.
David Petraeus had an affair with Paula Broadwell in 2011 during which time she was interviewing him for a biography she was writing.
Three days after the 2012 general election, David Petraeus resigned as the director of the CIA and admitted to the affair but at the time he denied any criminal wrongdoing.
The FBI discovered the affair during a cyberstalking investigation following allegations made by one of the former general’s friends, Jill Kelley.
They determined that Paula Broadwell had been sending threatening emails to Jill Kelley, and during the investigation they discovered evidence that suggested David Petraeus had shared the classified information.
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Former CIA Director David Petraeus has apologized to those he “hurt and let down”, in his first public speech since resigning over his extramarital affair with biographer Paula Broadwell.
David Petraeus said at the University of Southern California military event his actions had caused “pain for family and friends”.
But the retired general said he hoped his fall would teach others that “life doesn’t stop with such a mistake and must go on”.
David Petraeus quit after his affair with biographer Paula Broadwell was discovered during an FBI investigation.
He was speaking to about 600 guests at the University of Southern California’s annual Reserve Officers’ Training Corps dinner.
David Petraeus has apologized to those he “hurt and let down”, in his first public speech since resigning over his extramarital affair with biographer Paula Broadwell
David Petraeus received a standing ovation, then began his speech by saying: “Needless to say, I join you keenly aware that I am regarded in a different light now than I was a year ago.”
The former CIA chief said he was also “keenly aware that the reason for my recent journey was my own doing”.
David Petraeus added: “So please allow me to begin my remarks this evening by reiterating how deeply I regret – and apologize for – the circumstances that led me to resign from the CIA and caused such pain for my family, friends and supporters.”
David Petraeus has kept a low profile since resigning on November 9, 2012.
His lawyer said David Petraeus had spent much of the time with his family.
A harassment complaint by Florida socialite Jill Kelley over emails she had received had led the FBI to unmask the affair.
Jill Kelley knew David Petraeus through social contacts on the Florida military base where US Central Command is headquartered.
When the FBI investigated, it traced the emails to an apparently jealous Paula Broadwell.
Jill Kelley also knew the top US general in Afghanistan, General John Allen. John Allen also sent emails to Jill Kelley but has been cleared of any misconduct.
Towards the end of his speech, David Petraeus said he hoped his experience “can be instructive to others who stumble or indeed fall as far as I did. One learns, after all, that life doesn’t stop with such a mistake. It can and must go on”.
David Petraeus added: “I know that I can never fully assuage the pain that I inflicted on those closest to me and on a number of others.
“I can, however, try to move forward in a manner that is consistent to the values to which I subscribed before slipping my moorings and, as best as possible, to make amends to those I have hurt and let down.”
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The White House has announced it will go ahead with the nomination of General John R. Allen as NATO commander in Europe.
The announcement comes after John Allen was cleared of allegations he had “inappropriate” communication with Florida socialite Jill Kelley.
Gen. John Allen is to relinquish command of the NATO mission in Afghanistan next month.
Unrelated harassment complaints by Jill Kelley led to the revelation of an affair between CIA chief David Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell.
General Allen’s nomination to lead the NATO command in Europe was placed on hold after it was revealed last year he had communicated repeatedly with Jill Kelley, whom he met when he led US Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
The emails between the two first came to light as part of a wider investigation into email harassment against Jill Kelley, who knew both Gen. John Allen and David Petraeus, a former general, through social contacts at the base.
When the FBI investigated, it traced the emails to David Petraeus’s biographer Paula Broadwell, bringing to light her affair with the CIA chief.
The White House has announced it will go ahead with the nomination of General John R. Allen as NATO commander in Europe
Earlier reports suggested Gen. John Allen had exchanged over 3,000 emails, some described as inappropriate and flirtatious, with Jill Kelley.
The Afghanistan commander had also written a letter to a judge in support of Jill Kelley’s twin sister in a messy child custody dispute.
A spokesman for Gen. John Allen said the general was “obviously pleased” to be cleared of the charges he had violated the prohibition against conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
“From the outset, the general placed his faith in – and fully supported – the investigative process,” Maj. David Nevers said.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the defence department “was pleased to learn that allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated”, adding that Defence Secretary Leon Panetta had “complete confidence in the continued leadership” of Gen. John Allen.
Defence officials told the Washington Post that the full investigation had shown that there were in fact only several hundred emails exchanged between Gen. John Allen and Jill Kelley, mostly notes on current news topics and social matters or compliments on General Allen’s television interviews.
“Some of the messages are not the sort of things you would print in a family newspaper,” the official said.
“But that doesn’t mean he violated military regulations by sending and receiving them.”
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General John R. Allen has been cleared of misconduct by the Pentagon for more than 3,000 emails exchanged with Florida socialite Jill Kelley and revealed during David Petraeus scandal.
John Allen’s nomination to head NATO commander in Europe had been put on hold amid reports the emails were inappropriate.
He is due to relinquish command of his Afghanistan post in February.
Harassment complaints by Jill Kelley led the FBI to unmask an affair between CIA Director David Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell. He later resigned.
Defence officials told the Associated Press that the White House had not decided whether to go forward with General John Allen’s nomination to Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the defence department “was pleased to learn that allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated”, adding that defence secretary Leon Panetta had “complete confidence in the continued leadership” of Gen. John Allen.
The emails first came to light as part of a wider investigation into email harassment against Jill Kelley, who knew both Gen. John Allen and David Petraeus, a former general, through social contacts on the Florida army base where US Central Command is headquartered.
When the FBI investigated, it traced the emails to David Petraeus biographer Paula Broadwell, bringing to light her affair with the CIA chief.
General John R. Allen has been cleared of misconduct by the Pentagon for more than 3,000 emails exchanged with Florida socialite Jill Kelley and revealed during David Petraeus scandal
Earlier reports suggested Gen. John Allen and exchanged thousands of emails, some described as inappropriate and flirtatious, with Jill Kelley.
The Afghanistan commander had also written a letter to a judge in support of Natalie Khawam, Jill Kelley’s twin sister, in a messy custody dispute.
After being contacted by the FBI, Leon Panetta announced the inquiry into Gen. John Allen and put the commander’s nomination on hold.
Defence officials told the Washington Post that the full investigation had shown that there were in fact only several hundred emails exchanged between the two, mostly notes on current news topics, social invites or compliments on Gen. John Allen’s television interviews.
“Some of the messages are not the sort of things you would print in a family newspaper,” the official said.
“But that doesn’t mean he violated military regulations by sending and receiving them.”
In addition to the inquiry into Gen. John Allen, Leon Panetta asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to review ethics training after a series of misconduct cases.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, has not released the results of his review but has said he found that ethics training for senior leaders should begin earlier in an officer’s career and be reinforced more frequently.
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Florida socialite Jill Kelley has finally broken her silence over David Petraeus affair since the scandal erupted three months ago and said she never met Paula Broadwell, who tried to “blackmail, extort and threaten her”.
Jill Kelley – who has been described as the “other other woman” in David Petraeus affair – has been accused of many things since the scandal erupted.
The Lebanese-born socialite was accused of having an affair with David Petraeus as they exchanged more than 30,000 emails, that she had an affair with General John Allen and that she used cancer charity funds for entertainment purposes.
Jill Kelley, 37, said from the moment the blackmailing email was sent to an account she shared with her husband Scott, her life was turned upside down as she went from wealthy Tampa socialite to a maligned, scamming mistress.
She said she was terrified by the anonymous email and admitted in the barrage that followed there was “blackmail, extortion, threats”.
She would later learn they were from biographer Paula Broadwell, whose affair with David Petraeus triggered his resignation as CIA director.
Speaking to The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz, Jill Kelley said she had no idea who Paula was or of her relationship with Petraeus.
When Jill Kelley complained to a friend in the FBI, she had no idea of the chain of events she was about to set in motion – including finding herself accused of having an affair with General John Allen, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, which both flatly deny.
“I knew I was being stalked. I did what anybody else would have done when they were feeling threatened, to go seek protection from somebody I could trust,” she said.
Jill Kelley has finally broken her silence over David Petraeus affair since the scandal erupted three months ago
In the interview, Jill Kelley mainly dwells on the impact the scandal has had on her husband and children, recounting a party she threw soon after for her daughter’s seventh birthday.
“It was devastating. To have your privacy invaded is truly…there are no words to describe it,” she said.
“Instead of enjoying a family birthday party, I had paparazzi storming my front lawn, pushing down the door. There are no words to describe the panic and fear at that moment.
“As much as I appreciate that [the media] want to be the first one to come out with a headline, regardless of whether they did any fact-checking, they have to consider the impact they have on our life and our children’s lives,” Jill Kelley says.
“Just because it’s repeated doesn’t make it true. It was living a nightmare.”
Jill Kelley said a lot of reports in the media were not true, or greatly exaggerated, including that she had exchanged as many as 30,000 emails with Gen. John Allen.
While she did not provide an estimate, she said it was probably somewhere in the hundreds.
When asked about her relationship with John Allen, whom she met when she hosted a birthday party for David Petraeus’ wife Holly,
“We’re friends, good friends,” she said.
That friendship continued by email when Allen was sent to Kabul.
The general’s promotion to be commander of NATO forces is on hold while investigators examine the email traffic between him and Jill Kelley – but sources have described it as flirtatious and potentially inappropriate.
But she contests this, saying they were sent from an account she shared with her husband and that sometimes John Allen’s wife was even copied in.
Jill Kelley said it has been particularly difficult for her cancer surgeon husband, who she deems “an honorable guy” but what she wants the public to know is simple.
“I’m a dedicated mother, a loving wife. We have a very happy, close family. I support the troops. I take pride in feeding the homeless in our community. This whole situation is just very sad.”
In the fallout from the Petraeus scandal, which cost the decorated former General his job as CIA director, Jill Kelly also lost her title as an Honorary Consul to South Korea.
She was also banned from visiting MacDill Airforce base in her role as a social liaison officer and told to remove vanity license plates that carried the title “Honorary Consul”.
Jill Kelley, a mother of two, has never spoken publicly about her involvement in the scandal but is believed to be writing a tell-all book.
Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite at the centre of CIA director David Petraeus downfall, is planning a tell-all book, according to friends.
Jill Kelley, 37, is understood to have held preliminary talks with publishers to tell her side of the story that led to the resignation of General David Petraeus.
“Trust me, there is going to be a book in the New Year. You can count on it,” said a friend of the Tampa socialite.
She has not spoken about her pivotal role in the scandal which led to David Petraeus’s affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell being exposed last month.
David Petraeus, 60,resigned as CIA director when the affair became known following an FBI investigation that was sparked by Jill Kelley.
Another senior military figure, General John R. Allen, became embroiled in the scandal after allegedly exchanging inappropriate emails with the Tampa based Jill Kelley.
The mother of three had befriended David Petraeus and General John Allen when they were both stationed at US Central Command at the MacDill Air Force Base near her home overlooking Tampa Bay.
She threw lavish parties for the generals and used her connections to military to visit the White House on three occasions.
Jill Kelley was also accused of using her high powered connections to try to secure an $80 million check by brokering an energy deal between a New York businessman and her contacts with the South Korean Government.
Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite at the centre of CIA director David Petraeus downfall, is planning a tell-all book
Friends say Jill Kelley’s book will be “payback” for the humiliation she has suffered since her name became linked to the scandal.
“Jill is very angry, and it’s fair to say she wants to tell her side of the story,” said a friend.
“She has been lampooned on Saturday Night Live and feels she has been made to look like a fool.
“She said her best way of putting the record straight is a book. A TV interview only lasts a few minutes, but a book is there all the time. That is why she has said no to doing any TV. She wants it to be a matter of record and will do TV when the book comes out.”
As an apparently wealthy socialite who schmoozed some of America’s most senior military figures, Jill Kelley has an intriguing story to tell.
With its ingredients of sex, spies and lies any book would likely be a best seller – and generate a large sum of money for the cash-strapped Kelleys.
Jill Kelley and her cancer surgeon husband Scott have faced the embarrassment of having their personal financial details made public.
They owe millions to banks and facing foreclosure on their $1.3 million mansion overlooking Tampa Bay.
Jill Kelley, who enjoys shopping for designer clothes, is being chased for $25,000 in unpaid credit card bills
But despite her perilous financial state being laid bare she told friends the most humiliating part was being compared to the reality star Kim Kardashian.
Jill Kelley and her sister Natalie Khawam have been nicknamed the “Tampa Kardashians”.
A colonel at the MacDill Air Force Base said many people there were considered her a military groupie and likened her to the Kardashians.
“Of everything that has been written and said about her, that is what hurts the most,” said the friend.
“She finds it insulting as the Kardashians go out of their way to get publicity. Jill did not seek any of this.”
As part of the fallout from the scandal Jill Kelley’s role as a goodwill ambassador to the MacDill Air Force Base has been suspended.
She has also been stripped of her title of Honorary Consul that was bestowed upon her by South Korea.
Officials with the South Korean Government said she losing the title for misusing it for personal gain.
Jill Kelley received no official privileges from the title, but did try to claim diplomatic protection when the media swarmed over her house after her name became linked to the scandal.
She has also been ordered to remove the vanity license plate that says Honorary Consul from her silver Mercedes.
Jill Kelley, the Tampa socialite embroiled in the scandal that cost CIA Director David Petraeus his job, fought back Tuesday after more than two weeks of silence as her attorneys released emails, telephone recordings and other material that they say show she never tried to exploit her friendship with Petraeus.
Jill Kelley, through her attorneys, went on the attack against a New York businessman who accused her of incompetence in her work trying to set up a deal he was negotiating with South Korean companies; an attorney who accused her of name-dropping and of being a social climber; and the FBI agent who first leaked her name in connection with the Petraeus scandal.
Jill Kelley, 37, became the focus of national media attention earlier this month after it was revealed that she was the recipient of anonymous emails from Paula Broadwell, David Petraeus’ biographer and mistress.
Paula Broadwell allegedly told Jill Kelley she should stay away from the former general and General John Allen, who had replaced David Petraeus as leader of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
David Petraeus and John Allen had become friends with Jill Kelley and her husband, Scott Kelley, a noted cancer surgeon, when the generals served at U.S. Central Command, which is headquartered at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base. Jill Kelley became an unofficial social ambassador for the base, hosting numerous parties for the officers.
The scandal this week cost Jill Kelley her appointment as an honorary consul for the South Korean government, which she had gotten because of her friendship with David Petraeus. The Koreans said she had misused the title in her personal business dealings.
Jill Kelley’s attorneys sent a cease-and-desist letter to New York businessman Adam Victor; a complaint to the Florida bar against Tampa attorney Barry Cohen, and a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office demanding that it investigate to find out who in the FBI leaked her name to the news media. Representatives of attorney Abbe Lowell emailed copies of the letters to The Associated Press.
In one of the letters, Abbe Lowell asks W. Stephen Muldrow, the assistant U.S. Attorney in Tampa, why Jill and Scott Kelley’s names were released in the course of the FBI’s investigation of David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell. Abbe Lowell said federal privacy laws could be applicable to the couple’s information.
“As you know, there are several rules and laws that seek to protect United States citizens against such leaks,” Abbe Lowell wrote.
He also wanted to know whether the U.S. Attorney’s Office was investigating the source of the leaks.
“You no doubt have seen the tremendous attention that the Kelleys have received in the media,” wrote Abbe Lowell.
“All they did to receive this attention was to let law enforcement know that they had been the subjects of inappropriate and potentially threatening behavior by someone else.”
Jill Kelley fought back Tuesday after more than two weeks of silence saying she never tried to exploit her friendship with David Petraeus
Another letter spoke of a business deal that Jill Kelley tried to broker with South Korea.
Jill Kelley met Adam Victor in late August at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, where they discussed having Kelley represent Victor’s company on a coal-gasification deal being negotiated with South Korean companies.
On August 30, according to the documents provided by Abbe Lowell’s office, Adam Victor sent Jill Kelley an email saying his company was seeking bids from four major Korean firms – Samsung, Hyundai, GS and GK – and that he expected the bidding to potentially reach $3 billion.
Jill Kelley reportedly requested $80 million for helping with the deal.
There are several back-and-forth emails through mid-September as Adam Victor and Jill Kelley tried to negotiate a fee for her work, with Kelley saying she was seeking 2% of the deal and Victor trying to clarify what she meant.
There were no other emails until Adam Victor sent one November 9, when Jill Kelley’s name surfaced in the Petraeus scandal. He wrote two more times after that before she responded.
When she finally did, he sent back another email in which he remarked: “When I heard about Petraeus, I thought of you.”
In a follow-up email, he asked if she was still in a position to help with Korea. She didn’t respond.
In a November 14 interview with the AP, Adam Victor said it had become clear that Jill Kelley was not a skilled negotiator and that he had wasted his time dealing with her.
In a letter released Tuesday and dated November 21, Abbe Lowell accused Adam Victor of seeking his “15 minutes of fame” by talking to the news media about his client.
Abbe Lowell said Adam Victor had defamed Jill Kelley with his clients and misstated her desire for 2% of the profits by saying she wanted 2% of the entire deal. Abbe Lowell also accused Adam Victor of unspecified inappropriate behavior toward Jill Kelley.
“If you want to continue seeking publicity for yourself, that is one thing,” Abbe Lowell wrote to Adam Victor.
“However, if you do that by maligning a person, that is something else.”
He then accused Adam Victor of casting Jill Kelley in a false light and suggested his attorney contact Abbe Lowell to discuss the matter.
Adam Victor told the AP late Tuesday that he never accused Jill Kelley of wrongdoing, only that she was naive and not an experienced negotiator. He also said his female assistant was present every time he met with Jill Kelley.
Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite who exposed the affair which brought down CIA Director David Petraeus, has been sacked as an honorary consul for South Korea.
Jill Kelley, 37, was so proud of her status, which she was awarded thanks to her friendship with the country’s ambassador, that she had a custom licence plate made boasting of it.
But now the title has been taken away from her after a senior Korean official said she had tried to “peddle influence” in a way that was “inappropriate”.
Jill Kelley, a Tampa housewife who works as an “unpaid social liaison” at MacDill Air Force Base, unwittingly sparked the Petraeus scandal telling the FBI about “threatening” emails she had received from author Paula Broadwell.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Paula Broadwell had been having an affair with David Petraeus, who was subsequently forced to resign as director of the CIA.
Jill Kelley was appointed honorary consul for South Korea in August after becoming close to former ambassador Han Duk-Soo, who is said to be troubled by his unwitting role in the Petraeus affair.
When he recommended her for the post, he apparently alluded to her links with senior officials such as David Petraeus and General John Allen, who was dragged into the scandal when it emerged that he and Jill Kelley had exchanged thousands of emails.
As well as sporting a licence plate describing her as “Honorary Consul”, Jill Kelley requested “diplomatic protection” from media camped outside her door in the wake of David Petraeus’ resignation.
So she will doubtless be devastated to learn than the title has been withdrawn, according to the country’s deputy foreign minister Kim Kyou-hyun.
During a visit to Washington, he told the Yonhap news agency that Jill Kelley would no longer be allowed to hold the $2,500-a-year job.
“It’s not suitable to the status of honorary consul that [she] sought to be involved in commercial projects and peddle influence,” Kim Kyou-hyun said.
“It’s also inappropriate as honorary consul.”
A New York businessman said Jill Kelley was introduced to him at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August as someone whose friendship with David Petraeus would help facilitate a no-bid deal with South Korea on a coal-gasification project.
Jill Kelley would supposedly be in a position to help broker the billion-dollar deal directly with the Korean president, and expected a two percent commission, said Adam Victor, president and CEO of TransGas Development Systems.
She also tried to establish a relationship between South Korea and the University of South Florida’s medical school.
It had previously emerged that Jill Kelley was awarded a medal for “Outstanding Public Service” – the second highest honor available to a civilian – from the Joint Chiefs of Staff after she was recommended by David Petraeus himself.
After problems with the application, it was resubmitted in October 2010 by Marine General James Mattis, who had replaced David Petraeus as the head of U.S. Central Command.
David Petraeus then presented the award to Jill Kelley, whom he met through her work and lavish party planning for MacDill, at a ceremony in Washington on March 18, 2011.
The award citation noted the honor was for her public service to the U.S. Central Command, MacDill and the Department of Defense from October 31, 2008 to May 31, 2010. She received a silver medal, lapel pin, citation and certificate.
“Mrs. Kelley distinguished herself by exceptional service while supporting the mission of the United Central Command, building positive relationships between the military and the Tampa community, supporting community outreach, and advancing various military endeavors,” according to the award citation, seen by the Tampa Tribune.
It adds that her “willingness to host engagements with Senior National Representatives from more than 60 countries was indicative of her support for both the Coalition’s effort and the mission of United States Central Command”.
And her willingness to rub shoulders with the military’s top brass has become increasingly apparent since her part in the Petraeus scandal emerged over the past two weeks.
Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite who exposed the affair which brought down CIA Director David Petraeus, has been sacked as an honorary consul for South Korea
Jill Kelley has thrown expensive parties at her home for generals and local politicians, reportedly schmoozed with Barack Obama aides who then invited her to dinners at the White House and enjoyed taxpayer-funded flights on military aircraft.
“On multiple occasions, Mrs. Kelley invited Senior National Representatives, their spouses, and senior leaders to her home to demonstrate their gratitude and support,” the citation noted.
“These events promoted camaraderie, understanding and a better appreciation for Coalition and military customs, concerns and abilities.
“Her personal leadership and selfless contributions to our community generated a strong bond between our Coalition members and Tampa residents, which inspired acts of generosity and patriotism in others.”
Jill Kelley was also commended for helping David Petraeus when he first took over CentCom.
“She [was] instrumental in introducing the commander, early in his tenure, to local and state officials, particularly the mayor of Tampa and the governor of Florida,” according to the citation.
But her friendliness with military officials has also led to her undoing, after she was found to have exchanged “flirtatious” emails with General John Allen during the FBI probe into David Petraeus.
During the investigation, the FBI found 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails between Jill Kelley and the general, who is head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
It also emerged this week that she travelled on a military plane with General John Allen on at least one occasion. In other instances, she reportedly flew to Washington DC.
The investigation by 10 News Tampa found she enjoyed “numerous” flights, including on a KC-135 jet in May 2010.
“It’s an educational opportunity for people to just see what hard working military members are doing each day,” Lt. Col. Jack Miller said of the plane.
“It’s generally folks throughout the community that just have an interest in the instillation. Sometimes it’s just a matter of requesting to do it.”
The revelation came after Jill Kelley and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, were invited to two “courtesy” meals in the Executive Mansion mess hall as a guest of a White House aide.
She met the mid-level aide through her work with MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, where she also rubbed shoulders with the military bosses including General David Petraeus.
On one further occasion, she received a White House tour with her family, the official added.
In further examples of her attempts to use her contacts to her advantage, Jill Kelley sent a string of pleading emails to the Tampa Mayor after the scandal broke, complaining she has been receiving threats and claiming: “The truth will one day prevail.”
The anguished messages, seen by the Tampa Bay Times, were sent to Bob Buckhorn, whom she knows socially, and claimed her children were scared and her husband had been forced to sleep at work.
The emails are the second instance of her trying to exploit her “position” – after she called the police asking for “diplomatic protection” from the media due to her role as honorary consul to South Korea.
“I’m an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property,” Jill Kelley told the 911 operator.
“I don’t know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well, because that’s against the law to cross my property because, you know, it’s inviolable.”
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Florida socialite Jill Kelley, whose tip to the FBI uncovered David Petraeus’ affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell, was awarded a prestigious military medal for her “selfless contributions” to the forces, it has emerged.
Jill Kelley received the award for “Outstanding Public Service” from the Joint Chiefs of Staff – the second highest honor to a civilian – after she was recommended by David Petraeus himself.
After problems with the application, it was resubmitted in October 2010 by Marine General James Mattis, who had replaced David Petraeus as the head of U.S. Central Command.
David Petraeus then presented the award to Jill Kelley, whom he met through her work and lavish party planning for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, at a ceremony in Washington on March 18, 2011.
The award citation noted the honor was for her public service to the U.S. Central Command, MacDill and the Department of Defense from October 31, 2008 to May 31, 2010. She received a silver medal, lapel pin, citation and certificate.
Jill Kelley received the award for Outstanding Public Service from the Joint Chiefs of Staff after she was recommended by David Petraeus himself
“Mrs. Kelley distinguished herself by exceptional service while supporting the mission of the United Central Command, building positive relationships between the military and the Tampa community, supporting community outreach, and advancing various military endeavors,” according to the award citation, seen by the Tampa Tribune.
It adds that her “willingness to host engagements with Senior National Representatives from more than 60 countries was indicative of her support for both the Coalition’s effort and the mission of United States Central Command”.
Jill Kelley’s willingness to rub shoulders with the military’s top brass has become increasingly apparent since her part in the Petraeus scandal emerged over the past two weeks.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has spoken out for the first time about the allegations against General John R. Allen, that he had “inappropriate communications” with Florida socialite and military social liaison Jill Kelley.
General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is under investigation for his correspondence with Kelley, who is also embroiled in the David Petraeus sex scandal.
Investigators are looking at 20,000-plus pages of documents and emails between Jill Kelley and John Allen, some of which have been described by Pentagon officials as “flirtatious”. General John Allen has denied any wrongdoing.
Leon Panetta, speaking at a news conference in Perth on Wednesday, cautioned against reaching early conclusions about the veracity of allegations against General John Allen, which have added a new dimension to the Petraeus matter.
“No one should leap to any conclusions here,” Leon Panetta said in his first public comments on the matter when a reporter asked what John Allen might have done wrong.
Leon Panetta said he supports John Allen, who has been in command in Kabul since July 2011. He took over that summer for David Petraeus, who retired from the Army to head the CIA.
“He certainly has my continued confidence to lead our forces and to continue the fight,” Leon Panetta said.
Leon Panetta has spoken out for the first time about the allegations against General John Allen, that he had inappropriate communications with Jill Kelley
The Pentagon chief declined to explain the nature of John Allen’s correspondence with Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite connected to the scandal that led to David Petraeus’ resignation last week as director of the CIA.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who appeared with Leon Panetta and their Australian counterparts at Wednesday’s news conference, declined to comment on the Allen case except to suggest it has not harmed the war effort.
Adam Victor, a New York businessman, claims that Jill Kelley was so eager to close a billion-dollar business deal that the Florida socialite stood up her own husband on their anniversary.
Jill Kelley reportedly met Adam Victor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. Shortly after they were introduced by mutual friend Don Phillips, the two began to talk business.
Adam Victor is the president and CEO of TransGas Development Systems, a New York-based firm dedicated to the pursuit of clean energy.
Jill Kelley claimed that in her capacity as honorary consul for South Korea, she could help Adam Victor set up a coal plant there.
Emails between Jill Kelley and Adam Victor exclusively obtained by ABC News revealed how Kelley doggedly pursued the deal.
At one point, Jill Kelley emailed Adam Victor: “Adam, I’m on my flight. It was wonderful to meet with you. I was quite impressed learning about the project to say the least.
“I’m emailing around some contacts, calling in favors, and totally anxious to take this to the next step. It has HUGE potential. It just needs a catalyst like me. :-)”
Adam Victor, a New York businessman, claims that Jill Kelley was so eager to close a billion-dollar business deal that the Florida socialite stood up her own husband on their anniversary
While wheeling and dealing with Adam Victor, Don Phillips claimed to ABC that Jill Kelley wasn’t interested in moving forward, telling him: “As a result of my personal investigations and business intelligence this is just not going anywhere, Don, and you just don’t want to associate with [Victor].”
But Jill Kelley soon emailed one of Adam Victor’s employee, saying she was blowing off her husband Scott on their anniversary so that she could speak more about the South Korea deal.
The email shown to the network read: “[M]y husband is in agreement with me canceling our 13th Anniversary dinner plans. Please call me.”
But the deal apparently collapsed when Jill Kelley informed Adam Victor of the commission she was hoping to take in for helping to complete the deal – a whopping 2%, or $80 million.
Adam Victor’s next email informed Jill Kelley: “The suggested fee you have asked for is so out of market, I have no way of working out any acceptable deal with you. You should not contact anyone on our behalf.”
He said he was told by Jill Kelley that David Petraeus had set her up as an honorary consul to South Korea, a claim refuted by the general’s longtime spokesman, retired Army Col Steve Boylan.
Don Phillips, Jill Kelley’s friend, also told ABC that she has never sought any benefits from her friendship with the disgraced general.
Jill Kelley is the woman who blew the lid off the Petraeus affair and ensuing scandal after she received threatening emails from the generals mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell.
It was revealed on Tuesday that the Florida socialite took multiple flights aboard military aircraft on the taxpayers’ dime.
Jill Kelley, 37, even reportedly flew to Washington, DC, with General John Allen – the military commander she is said to have exchanged tens of thousands of emails with while he was in Afghanistan.
It is not known why Jill Kelley flew to Washington DC with John Allen but it has emerged that in recent months she has had three visits to the White House.
The mother of three from Tampa has so far refused to comment publicly on her role in the scandal that ended the career of CIA Director David Petraeus and put the distinguished career of General John Allen in jeopardy.
The commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan is under investigation for “flirty” emails said to number as many as 30,000 that he exchanged with Jill Kelley.
An investigation by 10 News Tampa has revealed that Jill Kelley, whose complaint over threatening emails revealed David Petraeus’ affair, has enjoyed several trips on military planes.
An oversized painted portrait of Florida socialite Jill Kelley and her surgeon husband Scott is hanging on the wall of their $1.3 million Bayshore Boulevard mansion.
The ostentatious gold-framed commission no doubt adorned the wall during one of Jill Kelley’s parties she famously hosted as an unpaid, unofficial social liaison for U.S. Central Command.
But appearances can be deceptive and the couple portrayed smiling widely have been sued for $4.1 million of debts and are, as we found out this month, at the centre of the biggest sex scandal to rock the U.S. in living memory.
Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old Florida housewife, unveiled the David Petraeus sex scandal when she contacted the FBI about harassing emails from his mistress Paula Broadwell.
After Jill Kelley contacted the FBI, agents launched a massive in-depth investigation into who was sending the emails because they shared this detailed information that was not publicly available.
The catty emails, which told Jill Kelley to “back off” from David Petraeus, were sent to Kelley from several fake email addresses.
In order to find who had confidential information about David Petraeus’ whereabouts, the FBI obtained an administrative subpoena, and traced them back to Paula Broadwell.
In the course of the investigation, they also unearthed emails indicating the affair between Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus, leading to his resignation earlier his month.
At her glamorous home the lawns are perfectly manicured – the residence has six bedrooms and four bathrooms for the hundreds of military guests who used to attend parties there.
A closer look, however, and you notice that the paint is peeling on the outside and wooden chairs at all rather too well worn.
An oversized painted portrait of Florida socialite Jill Kelley and her surgeon husband Scott is hanging on the wall of their $1.3 million Bayshore Boulevard mansion
Jill Kelley boasted about serving dinner to David Petraeus and his wife Holly in 2007.
Holly Petraeus and her husband were pictured next to the Kelleys and Jill Kelley’s twin sister, Natalie Khawam.
Each year Jill Kelley and her husband, Dr. Scott Kelley, host a party on their extensive manicured front lawn to celebrate the Gasparilla Festival in Tampa.
In 2010 General David Petraeus and his wife Holly attended the pirate themed festival staged at the Kelley’s home.
David Petraeus arrived with a 28 motorcycle escort and mingled with more than 200 guests who dined on crab cakes and lamb chops.
At this year’s Gasparilla festival, where pirate themed floats are driven through Tampa, the Kelley’s hosted military officers from 60 nations to a coalition appreciation party.
Tight security surrounded the Kelley’s home during the event.
One neighbor complained that it resulted in the street running alongside the Kelley’s red and white painted mansion being closed off to traffic for the day.
“You soon know when Jill is having a party It’s like having the president come to town as everything shuts down. There is security everywhere and you cannot move,” said one neighbor.
Jill Kelley, who said she has known General David Petraeus and his wife Holly for five years, has visited them in Washington DC. She is also reported to have been invited to a breakfast at the White House.
In recognition of her work with officials at CENTCOM, Jill Kelley was recently named as honorary consulate general to South Korea.
Natalie Khawam, Lebanese-born twin sister of Jill Kelley, the Tampa socialite at the centre of David Petraeus scandal, appeared at a press conference alongside celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred.
In an apparent bid to gain leverage for her client in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband Grayson Wolfe over their 4-year-old son, Gloria Allred portrayed Natalie Khawam’s case as “extremely important to single moms across the nation”.
David Petraeus, who resigned as CIA director after his affair with biographer Paula Broadwell was revealed when Jill Kelley complained to the FBI about harassing emails from her, wrote a letter in support of Khawam’s case.
General John Allen, NATO commander in Afghanistan and under investigation for potentially ‘inappropriate’ emails in a correspondence of up to 30,000 pages, also wrote a letter backing her.
Gloria Allred paid tribute to David Petraues and his wife Holly at a press conference in the Ritz Carlton in Washington.
“Both have known Natalie and her son personally for many years, and have had numerous opportunities to observe them together,” she said.
“They have loved Natalie’s child and emotionally supported her and her son through the toughest time in Natalie and her son’s life. They both spoke up through their court declarations in support of Natalie about what a loving, protective mom she was.”
Natalie Khawam, Lebanese-born twin sister of Jill Kelley, appeared at a press conference alongside celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred
A tearful Natalie Khawam, 37, declined to answer any questions but spoke of her relationship with her sister.
“My sister Jill and I aren’t just twins, we’re best friends. Literally inseparable,” she said.
“During my darkest time…she and my brother-in-law Dr. Kelley took me in with my son when we needed refuge and protection. Jill is the kindest, most generous person I know.
“We played tennis together. She played net and I served. We also played softball together. She was the catcher and I pitched. We love to cook. I usually bake and she sautés.
“We used to study together. I love math, she loves science and she excels in chemistry. We love to play piano and play chess.
“Jill has lovingly supported me through the years and I plan to love and support her unconditionally.”
Natalie Khawam lost an ugly child custody dispute with ex-husband Grayson Wolfe despite the letters written on her behalf by David Petraeus and General John Allen.
The judge said he had serious concerns and reservations over her mental stability and her grasp on reality and accused her of “outrageous conduct”, “bad faith litigation tactics”, and “illogical thinking” before awarding full custody to the father, who had been unable to see his child for more than a year.
According to the New York Post, Grayson Wolfe, won sole custody of the boy after the judge found out Natalie Khawam, a lawyer, repeatedly lied under oath and filed false domestic-violence and child-abuse claims against her husband.
Natalie Khawam was also accused of defying court orders to allow her estranged husband access to their son and sent emails to his friends and colleagues telling them he was a “horrible father and husband”.
Gloria Allred described her client as “a loving, caring mother” as well as a “highly educated academic scholar and a successful attorney”.
She described Jill Kelley’s relationship with David Petraeus as “social”.
Asked whether Natalie Khawam had visited the White House, Gloria Allred said she had been there “essentially for a tour” but declined to say who had been the host.
Neither Gloria Allred nor Natalie Khawam would speak about John Allen or go into any detail about David Petraues.
Gloria Allred’s clients include former porn star Joslyn James and nightclub promoter Rachel Uchitel, for whom Allred reportedly helped win $10 million from Tiger Woods.
She is renowned as the go-to lawyer for women who find themselves caught up in celebrity scandals and has defended women against stars such as Charlie Sheen, Eddie Murphy, and Rob Lowe.
Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite at the centre of the David Petraeus sex scandal, took multiple flights on military aircraft at taxpayers expenses, it was claimed today.
Jill Kelley even reportedly flew to Washington D.C. with General John Allen – the military commander she is said to have exchanged tens of thousands of emails with while he was in Afghanistan.
It is not known why Jill Kelley, 37, flew to the U.S. capital with John Allen but it has emerged that in recent months she has had three visits to the White House.
The mother of three from Tampa has so far refused to comment publicly on her role in the scandal that ended the career of CIA Director David Petraeus and put the distinguished career of General John Allen in jeopardy.
The commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan is under investigation for “flirty” emails said to number as many as 30,000 that he exchanged with Jill Kelley.
An investigation by 10 News Tampa has revealed that Jill Kelley, whose complaint over threatening emails revealed David Petraeus’ affair, has enjoyed several trips on military planes.
The news stations said they have made several requests to defense officials to see how many times Jill Kelley has flown from the MacDill Air Force base where she acted as an unpaid social liaison officer.
Pentagon officials told News 10 they have not been able to track down the exact number of flights. But they did confirm she flew on a KC-135 jet in May 2010.
The KC-135 jets are primarily used to refuel other aircraft in mid-air.
“It’s an educational opportunity for people to just see what hard working military members are doing each day,” Lt. Col. Jack Miller told the TV station.
Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite at the centre of the David Petraeus sex scandal, took multiple flights on military aircraft at taxpayers expenses
Officials said about 150 people each year take an orientation flight at MacDill, with the flights leaving and then returning to Tampa.
“I’ve seen anything from community leaders to Cub Scouts to sports teams.
“But by in large, it’s generally folks throughout the community that just have an interest in the instillation. Sometimes it’s just a matter of requesting to do it.”
Jill Kelley, who is mired in debt and facing foreclosure on her $1.3 million home overlooking Tampa Bay, sparked the investigation into David Petraeus after she went to the FBI after receiving threatening emails from Paula Broadwell, the general’s biographer.
The latest example of how she rubbed shoulders with the military’s top brass comes after it emerged she has visited the White House three times in the past three months.
Jill Kelley and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, were invited to two “courtesy” meals in the Executive Mansion mess hall as a guest of a White House aide.
She met the mid-level aide through her work with MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, where she also rubbed shoulders with the military bosses including General David Petraeus.
On one further occasion, she received a White House tour with her family, the official added.
It confirms that Jill Kelley was telling the truth in an email she wrote to a reporter at the Tampa Bay Times on September 28, in which she boasted of visiting the White House.
“Btw I was made the [honorary] Ambassador to US Central Command’s Coalition!” Jill Kelley wrote.
“In addition to that, I was just recently appointed to be the Honorary Consulate General to South Korea! I’m in DC today – just left from breakfast at the White House…. I really hope to see you soon!”
In further examples of her attempts to use her contacts to her advantage, Jill Kelley sent a string of pleading emails to the Tampa Mayor, complaining she has been receiving threats and claiming: “The truth will one day prevail.”
The anguished messages, seen by the Tampa Bay Times, were sent to Bob Buckhorn, whom she knows socially, and claimed her children were scared and her husband had been forced to sleep at work.
Holly Petraeus has reportedly threatened David Petraeus with divorce after she was left humiliated by his affair with Paula Broadwell
Holly Petraeus, former CIA director’s wife of 38 years, has reportedly threatened David Petraeus with divorce after she was left “humiliated” by his affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, it has been claimed today.
Holly Petraeus is reportedly “furious” about the affair, which forced her husband to resign from the top of the CIA ten days ago, and is demanding to know how many other women he has shared trysts with throughout their marriage.
“She can’t turn on a television, go online or open a newspaper without being bombarded by the latest revelations about his cheating,” a source told the National Enquirer.
“No wonder she’s angry. David has been falling all over himself, apologizing and begging Holly to forgive him, but she isn’t listening. After all his lies, she doesn’t believe anything he says anymore, and she’s thinking about consulting a divorce attorney.”
The source claimed Holly Petraeus has suspicions that her husband had an affair with Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite who sparked his downfall after tipping off the FBI about threatening emails from Paula Broadwell.
While David Petraeus denies they have ever been involved, Holly Petraeus is uncertain and keeps demanding to know how many other women he has cheated on her with, the source said.
Jill Kelley has also denied any wrongdoing and said in a statement she was simply a friend of David Petraeus, whom she met through her work at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
Holly and David Petraeus attended lavish garden parties at Jill Kelley’s Tampa, Florida mansion, where she lives with her husband, their three children and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam.
The Petraeuses have been married 38 years after meeting on a blind date when David Petraeus was a student at the military academy at West Point, where Holly’s father was the superintendent.
David Petraeus graduated in June 1947 and the couple married the following month, before going on to have two children, Ann and Stephen, and travelling throughout the world with his work.
Despite moving 24 times in 38 years, Holly Petraeus has also built her own career.
She became a volunteer, performing military and family support roles on bases, before working with service members as a financial advocate to ensure they were treated fairly by businesses.
In 2011, Holly Petraeus was appointed to the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs, a post she still holds.
Holly Petraeus’ threats of divorce come little more than a month after she and her husband were the picture of unity at their daughter’s wedding – three months after David Petraeus’ affair with Paula Broadwell had come to an end.
But on November 9, he stepped down from the CIA after the FBI uncovered his relationship with Paula Broadwell.
The affair was discovered after Paula Broadwell sent a string of “threatening” emails to military party planner Jill Kelley, whom she deemed a threat.
According to friends, Jill Kelley considered some of the anonymous messages death threats, after Paula Broadwell vowed to make Kelley “go away” – and the concerned housewife contacted the FBI.
The anonymous emails contained classified information about David Petraeus’ whereabouts and, thinking there had been a potential national security breach, the FBI was forced to investigate.
During their probe, they traced the emails back to Paula Broadwell and also uncovered emails revealing her months-long affair with David Petraeus, whom she had first met as a student in 2006.
In interviews and her biography of David Petraeus, All In, Paula Broadwell lauded Holly Petraeus as a “wonderful source of information” and revealed that she had read the book and enjoyed it.
In the book, Paula Broadwell recounted details from dozens of hours of interviews between Holly and David Petraeus in a description of how the couple met and fell in love.
Paula Broadwell described the relationship as virtually unbreakable – while at the same time carrying on an illicit affair with David behind Holly Petraeus’ back.
The “threatening” emails sent by Paula Broadwell to Florida socialite Jill Kelley – that eventually uncovered Broadwell’s affair with David Petraeus – vowed to make her perceived rival “go away”, it has been claimed.
The messages sent to Jill Kelley, who contacted the FBI after receiving them in May, were so menacing that the military party planner feared for her life, according to a friend.
The friend, who has not been identified, said that Jill Kelley, a military party planner in Tampa, had called her to seek advice after receiving the messages and read them out over the phone.
Speaking to the New York Daily News, she described the messages as much more threatening than originally reported, adding: “Any normal person who got emails like that would have immediately called police.”
In the messages, which were sent anonymously, Paula Broadwell promised to “make you go away” and boasted about her military background and having “powerful” friends, the Daily News reported.
“This wasn’t just a case of cyber-bullying,” the friend said.
“[Jill Kelley] was scared for her life. She had reason to be. These emails are the real thing. When she read them to me, I literally had the shivers.”
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that, in one email, Paula Broadwell had accused Jill Kelley of touching “him” underneath a table and asked if Kelley’s husband was aware of her actions.
In another, Paula Broadwell asked: “Who do you think you are?”
The threatening emails sent by Paula Broadwell to Florida socialite Jill Kelley vowed to make her perceived rival go away
Paula Broadwell also accused Jill Kelley, a David Petraeus family friend, of “parad[ing] around the base”, adding: “You need to take it down a notch.”
But the threatening emails, which had previously been described as “cat-fight stuff”, led to Paula Broadwell’s undoing after Jill Kelley contacted a friend in the FBI about the messages.
The anonymous emails contained classified information about David Petraeus’ whereabouts and, thinking there had been a potential national security breach, the FBI was forced to investigate.
During their probe, they traced the emails back to Paula Broadwell and also uncovered emails revealing her months-long affair with CIA boss David Petraeus, whose biography she had penned.
But investigators also found tens of thousands of emails between Jill Kelley and General John R. Allen, head of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and deemed some “inappropriate” and “flirtatious”.
General John Allen, a married father of two, is now under investigation, but both he and Jill Kelley deny any wrongdoing.
Jill Kelley has also denied being any more than friends with David Petraeus and released a statement saying: “We and our family have been friends with Gen. Petraeus for over five years. We respect his family’s privacy and want the same for us and our three children.”
Jill Kelley’s twin sister sister, Natalie Khawam, has also been dragged into the scandal, with reports detailing her troubled child custody battles and shrewd socializing skills. Celebrity attorney Gloria Allred is now representing her.
The latest revelations about the contents of the emails – which eventually led to David Petraeus’ resignation from the CIA on November 9 – come as Paula Broadwell moved back home with her husband and children.
Natalie Khawam, Jill Kelley’s twin sister, has reportedly enlisted Gloria Allred’s help, more than a week after her involvement in the cheating scandal that has led to his downfall of CIA Director David Petraeus.
Gloria Allred and Natalie Khawam are holding a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Natalie Khawam is the twin sister of Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite who blew the lid off the secret relationship between David Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell, after Broadwell sent Kelley threatening emails.
The twins’ brother, David Khawam, confirmed to ABC News that Natalie Khawam had hired Gloria Allred.
On Friday, Gloria Allred blasted the media coverage surrounding the women involved in the David Petraeus scandal.
Gloria Allred told the Daily Caller: “[M]y personal feeling on this matter is that women are being depicted in a negative and stereotypical manner which appears to be very unfair to all of them.”
But it’s unclear exactly what Gloria Allred would be representing Natalie Khawam for, but she has had legal issues in the past.
One was a brutal child custody dispute with ex-husband Grayson Wolfe.
Natalie Khawam has enlisted Gloria Allred’s help, more than a week after her involvement in the David Petraeus cheating scandal
Natalie Khawam suffered defeat in that case despite letters written on her behalf by David Petraeus and General John Allen, who was later revealed to be exchanging thousands of “flirtatious” emails with Jill Kelley.
The judge had resoundingly denied custody to Natalie Khawam, saying he had serious concerns and reservations over her mental stability and her grasp on reality.
He also cited her with “outrageous conduct”, “bad faith litigation tactics”, and “illogical thinking” before awarding full custody to the father – who had been unable to see his child for more than a year.
The New York Post claimed her estranged husband, Grayson Wolfe, won sole custody of the boy after the judge found out Natalie Khawam, a lawyer, repeatedly lied under oath and filed false domestic-violence and child-abuse claims against her husband.
Natalie Khawam was also accused of defying court orders to allow her estranged husband access to their son and sent emails to his friends and colleagues telling them he was a “horrible father and husband”.
But her troubles don’t just end there. Natalie Khawam is also currently being sued in Montgomery County for failing to pay the lawyer’s fees in her divorce – believed to be in the region of $100,000.
The case has been on the court docket for nearly a-year-and-a-half but took a backward step in April when she filed for bankruptcy.
On the bankruptcy filing, Natalie Khawam lists $3.2 million in unpaid debt, plus $53,000 she owes the Internal Revenue Service.
When Paula Broadwell, the biographer mistress of David Petraeus, was discovered to be hiding out at her brother Stephen Kranz’s handsome Washington D.C. townhouse, many would have thought that as far as bolt holes go she did just fine.
After figuratively going to ground following the revelation of her affair with CIA chief David Petraeus and his resignation, Paula Broadwell was photographed earlier in the week with glass of wine in hand preparing an evening meal in the grand kitchen of the $2.3 million home.
Since then, Paula Broadwell has evaded the massed ranks of the media who have camped outside the Mount Pleasant home, but with seven bedrooms and five bathrooms, cabin fever might not set in for the 40-year-old West Point graduate any time soon.
It was Paula Broadwell who was allegedly responsible for setting off the chain of events which led to her being hounded by the world’s press to the front door of her brother Stephen Kranz’s home at 1841 Park Road.
Paula Broadwell is believed to have sent threatening emails to Tampa socialite, Jill Kelley, who she perceived as a rival for the affections of retired four star general David Petraeus.
Jill Kelley in turn reported these messages to a friendly FBI agent who set off an investigation which uncovered evidence of the affair and “inappropriate” exchanges between Kelley and General John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
In fact the bombshell of the illicit affair that rocked the nation broke when Paula Broadwell and her husband Scott were enjoying a two-day break at the Middleton Inn in Little Washington, Virginia.
The beautiful and stately home became the centre of the world’s news when Paula Broadwell was seen looking strained and tense while holding a glass of wine in her hand on Tuesday evening.
Stephen Kranz’s home became the centre of the world’s news when Paula Broadwell was seen looking strained and tense while holding a glass of wine in her hand on Tuesday evening
Reporters were first alerted to her possible presence in Washington D.C. when her drivers licence was found by a jogger in nearby Rock Creek Park.
Indeed, 1841 Park Road is part of local history for the civil rights movement.
In 1950, two years after the U.S. Supereme Court ruled that neighborhood covenants restricting home ownership on the basis of race, the house was purchased by a Dr. Robert Deane, who was black.
The all-white residents of Mount Pleasant tried to sue to block the sale, but courts threw their complaints out and the sale went through.
Dr. Robert Deane lived in the property until his death in 2001.
The Tampa, Florida, military base that has gained notoriety for its connection to General David Petraeus’ sex scandal has been compared to Wisteria Lane from the show Desperate Housewives where out-of-control parties with top brass are a nightly occurrence, and where social climbing is a favorite pastime.
Those visiting MacDill Air Force Base for the first time will likely be surprised to see the sprawling bay front homes with covered porches, the upscale gym, golf course, boat rentals and other trappings of the good life that bear little resemblance to nearly any other military outpost.
“It’s the nicest base I’ve ever seen,” a private contractor with base access told The Daily Beast.
“It blew me away, as far as what the taxpayers pay for.”
People familiar with the culture of MacDill say they are not surprised by the recent revelations that David Petraeus had an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell, which was made public after Jill Kelley, a Tampa socialite with close ties to the base, set off an FBI investigation into the CIA director’s mistress.
Jill Kelley, described as a social climber and fierce self-promoter who was obsessed with powerful men, allegedly exchanged flirtatious emails with another general, John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
The sexual intrigue and heady mix of power and wealth appear to be mainstays on the military base known in Tampa as Wisteria Lane, referring to the infamous street where the philandering characters of Desperate Housewives reside.
“It’s well-known in social circles that all the big wigs do a lot of partying,” said Jack Belich, a private investigator in nearby St. Petersburg told the Daily Beast.
“That’s just part of the way they operate over there, and Tampa has always had these social gadflies and liaisons.”
MacDill Air Force Base, which has gained notoriety for its connection to David Petraeus’ sex scandal, has been compared to Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives
Jill Kelley was well-connected with people on the base, among them a White House attorney who gave her and her family access to the presidential residence on three separate occasions.
Tampa Bay Magazine Editor Aaron Fodiman described Jill Kelley as “charming, lovely, and vivacious” hostess who would frequently throw parties for top military officials at her lavish $1.3 million home on Bayshore Boulevard.
Aaron Fodiman pointed out, however, that Jill Kelley was just one of “hundreds” of people in the affluent community eager to entertain military heroes who have been enjoying a superstar status in Tampa.
Jill Kelley was one of about 800 members of Friends of MacDill who are allowed to access the base unescorted in the daytime hours.
Tim Sweeney, a fellow member of the group, said that its purpose is to involve the community in the base’s daily life, and most of those who participate are driven by noble motives, not by a desire to get rich or make a name for oneself.
That said, Tim Sweeney conceded that the top military brass in Tampa are the people that Jill Kelley and her ilk would have wanted to rub shoulders with.
“MacDill folks are the closest thing Tampa comes to having real celebrities. The Kelley’s are clearly the exception to the rule,” Tim Sweeney said.
“I just think it was a way for them to become socially prominent in the community.”
Jill Kelley has been tied to the scandal that prompted the resignation of retired General David Petraeus as CIA director.
David Petraeus admitted having an affair with his married biographer, Paula Broadwell.
Federal officials say Paula Broadwell sent emails to Jill Kelley, perceiving her as a romantic rival. That FBI investigation uncovered emails between Jill Kelley and Gen. John Allen during his time as head of Central Command in Tampa.
Jill Kelley, the Florida housewife at the centre of the David Petraeus scandal, was given access to the White House on three separate occasion thanks to a lawyer friend who works for the administration, according to recent reports.
Jill Kelley and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, had two “courtesy” meals in the mess at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as guests of a mid-level aide in September and October, a White House official said.
The socialite and her family also received a tour of the presidential residence on the weekend before the November 6 election.
Jill Kelley met the aid, an attorney, through her work with MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, where she also rubbed shoulders with the military’s top brass, including General David Petraeus.
David Petraeus’ biographer-turned-mistress Paula Broadwell also reportedly visited the White House before her illicit affair with Petraeus was made public following an FBI investigation launched with Kelley’s help.
Neither woman met with President Barack Obama during their visits, a White House official said.
Paula Broadwell, who was writing a book about David Petraeus and eventually became his paramour, attended meetings in June 2009 and June 2011 on Afghanistan-Pakistan policy in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is located in the White House complex, the official said.
The White House visits by Paula Broadwell and Jill Kelley illustrate the wide-ranging access both women enjoyed because of their ties with David Petraeus, General John Allen and others in the close-knit military community.
Jill Kelley and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, had two courtesy meals at the White House as guests of a mid-level aide in September and October
The White House official discussed their visits on condition of anonymity because the visitors logs being cited have yet to be made public.
Tampa Bay Times reported that on November 4, two days before the presidential election and less than a week before David Petraeus tendered his resignation after acknowledging his affair with Paula Broadwell, Jill Kelley, her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, their children and her husband, Dr. Scott Kelley, went on a tour of the White House.
On October 24, Jill Kelley and Natalie Khawam had lunch in the White House with a staffer, who also had breakfast with the Kelleys on September 28.
Jill Kelley was an Honorary Consul to South Korea, which is why she said she visited the White House in September.
The attorney who ushered Jill Kelley and her family through the doors of America’s most famous residence has not been identified by the White House, saying that his name will be made public once the visitor logs are released.
However, an official said the aid had gotten to know Jill Kelley through connections to MacDill.
The man worked as a civilian lawyer in Afghanistan and got to form relationships with military personnel, who invited him to MacDill where he met Jill Kelley. He now works as a lawyer in the White House.
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.
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
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.
With world’s media camped on her doorstep and her name and face plastered all over the news, Florida socialite Jill Kelley decided to lash out at Paula Broadwell, the woman she blamed for her life being turned upside down.
Branding Paula Broadwell, the mistress of General Petraeus a “criminal”, Jill Kelley pleaded with the city’s mayor Bob Buckhorn to intervene and remove the press from outside her house.
As recently as Wednesday, Jill Kelley was trading emails with Bob Buckhorn as the fall out from her complaint about threatening emails from Paula Broadwell intensified into the biggest sex scandal for decades.
“As you see on tv, my name (including Gen Petraeus & Allen) and home have been exploited by the media,” Jill Kelley wrote to Bob Buckhorn in an email time stamped 6:18 a.m. Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t care – if they got the facts right and focus on the criminal that stalked all of us. But the truth will one day prevail,” she continued, in an apparent reference to Paula Broadwell.
Jill Kelley lashed out at Paula Broadwell, branding her a criminal who stalked her family
Jill Kelley has been tied to the scandal that prompted the resignation of retired General David Petraeus as CIA director.
David Petraeus admitted having an affair with his married biographer, Paula Broadwell.
Federal officials say Paula Broadwell sent emails to Jill Kelley, perceiving her as a romantic rival. That FBI investigation uncovered emails between Jill Kelley and General John Allen during his time as head of Central Command in Tampa.
She boasted of connections to David Petraeus and other high-ranking officials, and she sought Bob Buckhorn’s presence at events ranging from hosting a group of VIPs from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal to her daughter’s birthday party.
Natalie Khawam and her twin sister Jill Kelley, the Florida housewife whose complaint over threatening emails revealed David Petraeus’ affair, have visited the White House three times in the past three months, it has emerged today.
In by far the most astonishing example of her determination to reach the top, Jill Kelley and Natalie Khawam were invited to two “courtesy” meals in the Executive Mansion mess hall as a guest of a White House aide, an Obama administration official has revealed.
Jill Kelley met the mid-level aide through her work with MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, where she also rubbed shoulders with the military’s top brass, including General David Petraeus.
On one further occasion, she received a White House tour with her family, the official added.
This latest revelation shows just how far Jill Kelley soared from her humble beginnings as the daughter of Lebanese immigrants in Pennsylvania to the host of lavish military parties at her Florida mansion.
Natalie Khawam and her twin sister Jill Kelley have visited the White House three times in the past three months
It also suggests that Jill Kelley was telling the truth in an email she wrote to a reporter at the Tampa Bay Times on September 28, in which she boasted of visiting the White House.
“Btw I was made the [honorary] Ambassador to US Central Command’s Coalition!” Jill Kelley wrote.
“In addition to that, I was just recently appointed to be the Honorary Consulate General to South Korea! I’m in DC today – just left from breakfast at the White House…. I really hope to see you soon!”
Further examples also emerged today of how the married mother of three, who is reportedly steeped in debt, has attempted to exploit her connections as she finds herself at the centre of the military scandal.
Jill Kelley, the Florida housewife whose complaint over threatening emails revealed David Petraeus’ affair, has attempted to exploit her connections once again.
In her first words since her part in the scandal was revealed over the weekend, Jill Kelley has sent a string of pleading emails to the Tampa Mayor, complaining she has been receiving threats and claiming: “The truth will one day prevail.”
The anguished messages, seen by the Tampa Bay Times, were sent in the early hours of Tuesday and Wednesday to Bob Buckhorn, whom she knows socially.
Jill Kelley claims her three children are scared to return home and her husband, Dr. Scott Kelley, has been forced to sleep at the hospital because he cannot get into their driveway, due to the swarms of media.
“Dear Mayor Bob,” Jill Kelley wrote, adding that she, David Petraeus and General John R. Allen – whom she was found to have exchanged “flirtatious” emails with – “have been exploited by the media”.
“I wouldn’t care – if they got the facts right and the focus was on the criminal that stalked all of us,” she added, apparently referring to David Petraeus’ mistress Paula Broadwell.
“But the truth will one day prevail.”
It is the second instance of her trying to exploit her “position” – after she called the police asking for “diplomatic protection” from the media due to her role as honorary consul to South Korea.
“I’m an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property,” Jill Kelley told the 911 operator.
“I don’t know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well, because that’s against the law to cross my property because, you know, it’s inviolable.”
But the move backfired – with the police releasing the calls to the media and failing to provide her the protection reserved for those in positions of genuine authority.
“To put insult to injury, your police dept gave the local 911 tapes to the press!” Jill Kelley wrote to Bob Buckhorn, adding that the recordings included her cell number, so: “I have been receiving threats all night.”
“I’m scared and cannot believe what my city, in which I have contributed so much of my love, time, money and leadership, has now done to me and my innocent family,” Jill Kelley wrote.
Bob Buckhorn told the Times that he did nothing in response to Jill Kelley’s complaint and simply said that the 911 recordings were public records.
He added that he knew the Kelleys socially after he won the mayoral race in March 2011 – even though they did not support him in his bid and he had never met them before.
Jill Kelley with General David Petraeus and his wife Holly at her home in 2011
Yet just three weeks after Bob Buckhorn was sworn into office, Dr. Scott Kelley and his wife hosted a reception for him at their lavish $1.3 million home on Bayshore Boulevard.
Jill Kelley has since invited Bob Buckhorn to a string of social events, including her daughter’s sixth birthday party, which are also documented by email, the Times reported.
She invited him and his wife to a dinner party for the King of Jordan and, after he was unable to attend, she wrote to him again.
“The King and his sister [the Princess] are awesome people!” Jill Kelley said.
“Actually your name was brought up by the Generals when they were showing off the party I hosted you! (everyone loved that party).”
They met again when Bob Buckhorn and his wife gave her a ride home following an event at MacDill Air Force Base, for which she organized events as a volunteer social liaison officer.
“Gen. [James] Mattis, was so kind to offer, but I realized you two were passing my way,” Jill Kelley emailed the mayor the following day.
Their messages also show how she involved herself in a spat over a radio host’s claims that he was going to deep fat fry the Koran earlier this year, according to the Times.
Officers at MacDill told the mayor that the publicity stunt could harm troops, and asked him to speak with the host.
Jill Kelley also called the mayor to tell them she had been speaking with Gen. John Allen and Vice Admiral Robert Harward, the deputy commander of CentCom, who said they needed the mayor’s help.
When 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”.
Her shrewd social-climbing tactics also came to light this week when she was pictured with Marco Rubio and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, when he was running for the Senate.
The photograph was tweeted by Republican Angelette Aviles who said that it was taken at a March 2010 fundraiser, where tickets were $1,000.
But the twins didn’t pay – instead, they appeared, took the photo and left, Angelette Aviles told the Times. They did not contribute to his campaign.
Yet over the past week, Jill Kelley’s connections have given her more exposure than she was perhaps intending.
After David Petraeus dramatically resigned from the top of the CIA last Friday, it emerged that Jill Kelley had played a key role in exposing his affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.
In May, Jill Kelley alerted the FBI that she had been receiving threatening, anonymous emails warning her to “back off” David Petraeus, whom Kelley and her husband are good friends with.
The FBI was forced to launch an in-depth investigation as some messages contained classified information about David Petraeus’ whereabouts, and they feared there could have been a security breach.
This is the topless photograph which FBI agent Frederick Humphries sent to Florida socialite Jill Kelley, who is at the centre of the David Petraeus sex scandal.
Frederick W. Humphries emailed the picture to Jill Kelley from an account he shared with his wife, two years before he started the investigation which would lead to David Petraeus’ resignation and very public disgrace.
The picture shows Fred Humphries with his shirt off, posing with two bullet-riddled dummies which look remarkably similar to the 47-year-old.
It was Fred Humphries who initiated the investigation into harassing emails sent to Kelley that ultimately led to the resignation of David Petraeus.
Amid the heat of that exposure the news of his own apparent indiscretion was treated as another layer of sexual intrigue in this tangled tale.
In fact, Frederick Humphries insists, it is nothing of the sort. The email was a joke that backfired more spectacularly than he could possibly have imagined and, perhaps, was allowed to.
The image in question was not some leering pose, directed at the object of his desire, but a round-robin joke – the sort of which the 47-year-old Special Agent was in the habit of sending – that ended with a picture punchline.
In stark contrast to the covert “dead drop” technique of Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus’s email correspondence, Fred Humphries’s message was sent from an account he shared with his wife, teacher Sara.
This is the topless photograph which FBI agent Frederick Humphries sent to Florida socialite Jill Kelley, who is at the centre of the David Petraeus sex scandal
The snapshot showing Frederick Humphries – bald, muscular and shirtless – posed between two buff, bullet-ridden target dummies and carrying the punchline: “Which one is Fred?” was framed and displayed on his wife’s desk at work. His supervisor even pinned it on the notice board in the Bureau.
In fact as the Seattle Times reports, one of the newspaper’s staff was among those to receive the email, sent in 2010 shortly after the Special Agent had been transferred from Guantanamo Bay to the Bureau’s Tampa office.
The email was sent on 9 September 2010. All of which points to the motivation of the sources that first leaked word of its existence being mischievous at best.
Because if not quite an Icarus figure fallen to earth, Fred Humphries reputation has certainly been allowed to wilt in the heat of the media glare.
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