Associated Press
U.S. General John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
Honestly, if this were a script out of Hollywood, it would have been thrown out for being too ridiculous.
During his tenure as CIA director, David Petraeus is accused of having an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell. Broadwell is accused of having sent menacing emails to Jill Kelley, who alerted the FBI to the alleged threats, which in turn led investigators to uncover information about Petraeus' adultery.
And this morning, we're learning about an alleged affair Kelley was having.
U.S. General John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, is under investigation over allegations of "inappropriate" emails between him and the woman who sparked the probe into CIA Director David Petraeus, officials said early Tuesday.
In a statement, the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that the FBI had referred "a matter involving" Allen to the Department of Defense.... A senior defense official told reporters Tuesday that it was alleged there had been "inappropriate communications" between Allen and Jill Kelley.
Allen is not only the ISAF commander; he was also poised to take over as head of U.S. forces in Europe and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. That confirmation process is now on hold.
Though the general denies wrongdoing, the investigation reportedly found up to 30,000 pages of communications between Allen and Kelley over the course of three years.
Wait, it gets worse. Much worse.
The Wall Street Journal adds these disturbing details on the FBI's side of the equation.
Ms. Kelley, a volunteer who organizes social events for military personnel in the Tampa area, complained in May about the emails to a friend who is an FBI agent. That agent referred it to a cyber crimes unit, which opened an investigation.
However, supervisors soon became concerned that the initial agent might have grown obsessed with the matter, and prohibited him from any role in the investigation, according to the officials.
The FBI officials found that he had sent shirtless pictures of himself to Ms. Kelley, according to the people familiar with the probe.
And in case that wasn't quite enough, the New York Times reports on how some of the details of the investigation were leaked to Republican congressmen, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).
Ms. Kelley, a volunteer with wounded veterans and military families, brought her complaint to a rank-and-file agent she knew from a previous encounter with the F.B.I. office, the official also said. That agent, who had previously pursued a friendship with Ms. Kelley and had earlier sent her shirtless photographs of himself, was "just a conduit" for the complaint, he said. He had no training in cybercrime, was not part of the cyber squad handling the case and was never assigned to the investigation.
But the agent, who was not identified, continued to "nose around" about the case, and eventually his superiors "told him to stay the hell away from it, and he was not invited to briefings," the official said. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Monday night that the agent had been barred from the case.
Later, the agent became convinced -- incorrectly, the official said -- that the case had stalled. Because of his "worldview," as the official put it, he suspected a politically motivated cover-up to protect President Obama. The agent alerted Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, who called the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, on Oct. 31 to tell him of the agent's concerns.
Based on what we're learning this morning, it appears much of this scandal was fueled by bizarre personal conduct, and a strange FBI agent who was a little too eager to undermine President Obama before the election with a controversy that had nothing to do with the White House.
Indeed, had the FBI agent in question not believed weird conspiracy theories about the president, he wouldn't have gone to Republican lawmakers, who in turn wouldn't have pushed the issue, which means the Petraeus scandal -- which involved no criminal wrongdoing -- probably would have gone away without further incident.
Leave a Comment:
There is no redeeming quality to this story that should justify the inordinate amount of bombastic and preening media coverage it has so breathlessly received. Conservatives are somehow pushing this as a major "scandal" for the newly reelected President Obama without bothering to look at the facts. In contrast, the reality of the matter is that this is yet another high profile Republican national figure brought down by an unseemly personal scandal...another blow to the party of "family values." Petraeus was considered a potential 2016 GOP presidential contender. The GOP is in total disarray. - progressive
If there ever was a textbook MSM "Shiny object " chapter it would be defined by this .
7-24 Generals having sex OMG!!!
Really '? nothing else going on ?
You both MAY be right, if it turns out that confidential information wasn't compromised, and that the activities/relationships didn't risk such compromise. What makes it important (though not as important as Andrea MItchell OR the RWNJs are trying to make it) is the FBI's decision to keep Congress and POTUS out of the loop, and the risks of compromise that Generals Petraeus and Allen felt free to disregard.
if it turns out that confidential information wasn't compromised
Thats my only real concern, and if the General was using his "Top Secret" computer for his extracurricular activities, and the business computer wasn't encrypted with hardened pass words/ keys, then he shouldn't have his job.
Other than that, it was a married General diddling then breaking it off with an married and infatuated "author" and apparently had some kind of relationship with a party planner who was having a thing with an FBI agent.
Just thinking of this buggery quadrangle turns me into a "mouth breather", much like watching any of the Real Wives shows (total viewing: 30 seconds, I immediately felt the lobotomy)
.
It's distracting from the Libya attack investigation.
When you look at a photo of Jill Kelley, the first word that comes to mind is "bimbo." That Generals and FBI agents would be panting after a bimbo can be filed under Standard Operating Procedure.
"Us Government Leadership Hypocrisy"
I cannot believe our Senate and Congressional leaders do not hold themselves to same ethical standards as our military leaders. Adultery is not a crime, yet our political leaders commit these ethical violations and crimes while still remaining in office. Wow, if only the American people could get away with the same "BS"! I think we are the only thing that keeps our society from taking the fall off the cliff to oblivion. Dramatic I know!
It may turn out that Paula REALLY WAS looking out for Petraeus! It looks that Kelly was a party girl for "many" locals in the Tampa general staff and Paula was warning her to stay away from Petraeus or else!
!
RM, Speaking about sex......Congradulations to D Wasserman Schultz and the five new women senators. Now TOTAL TWENTY......twenty female senators! WoW! Proves old theory, once again, that 80% of the positive results and success will be done by the top 20%. Just you watch, it should not be a shock. END
It's like the plotline for "Eyes Wide Shut Part II"
I don't know. I think "Shades of Khaki" might do well on the book stands.
Or, "50 Shades of Petraeus".
The BBC's initial announcement of Petraeus's resignation is seriously hilarious. Whether intentionally or unintentionally tongue-in-cheek, rife with double entendre, it is a ROTFLMAO read, with photo:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20276610
30,000 pages of mails? When did the General find the time to lead the troops?
He probably had 1/2 his staff writing them for him lol
GET THE MESSAGE OUT , STAT!!!!!
TeenagersMain Stream Media are titillated by, -nay, even obsessed with S E X.It only seems that way . Our scribblers and pontificators never (ever) would abnegate due to various pressures and urges to titilate . Theirs is the awesome responsibility to aggravate the comfortable ,
While perhaps even selling a view
That helps renew a few
Devotions away from the pew .
Of those left with little to celebrate ,
Who would like to initiate
The cost free superiority
Found with the trash that
Is too confusing to separate .
For the inexperienced
A home delivery of the very same things
That could be daily read ,
O the things we never did doo .
X-Files division aside, doesn't the FBI have psychological profiling in place to make sure whackjob conspiracy theorists never get hired in the first place?
Note to conspiracy theorists: the X-Files bit was a joke...
...or am I only saying that to cover up what's really going on...
I don't understand why this is such a big deal. Yeah, sex and longing amongst the powerful and their hangers on... not much news here. The only newsworthy part is that Petraeus found it incumbent on him to resign his job -- a surfeit of honor in a mostly unhonorable world.
Secret trysts make a person a suseptible to blackmail and thus a security risk. Same reason J.E. Hoover led a witch-hunt at the FBI for homosexuals (well...that, and he was projecting his self-loathing over his cross-dressing tendencies). Gay relationships have become more acceptable, so consequently the risk there has declined. But society is still wedded to the monogamous ideal, which means those engaging in extra-marital affairs remain a risk.
Yeah, I'm finding this whole thing a big yawner myself. It's a shame for the spouses and families involved, but otherwise I'm finding it hard to scrape up a damn to give on this one.
Yeah, sex and longing amongst the powerful and their hangers on... not much news here.
But don't you know their sex is special sex? Beyond the understanding of those of us in the lower classes?
.
I am upset though about the lack of transparency and the fact that an FBI agent brought news to the House Republicans and they used that information in an attempt to bring down the president over something that had nothing to do with the president. That's about the only area where I think this becomes a matter of public importance. The rest is just gossipy fluff.
So Eric Cantor initiated the investigation with a call to Mueller in the hopes of undermining President Obama before the election and all he got out of it was the resignation and disgrace of the man they probably hoped would run for election in 2016. Eric Cantor is a brain trust.
For those seeking to be forgiven
The brain of the one who canters
Is , we trust , one that can take the jostle , rumbling and tumbling
Sometimes found in the best laid plans
On a galloping horse
That Master Eric calls , Dignity .
While I and most people see sex as no big deal , the details in these cases do matter , Petraus was just vetted for his job , and none of this was exposed? He should have come clean about it thru the vetting , apparently he thought he could get a way with not mentioning it , along with a lot of other people not mention it for him , which really shows a lot of cracks for someone in a top national security job
The other generals case should not get sucked into what just happened to Petraus , for sure
Last night you said that the Petraeus situation was not a criminal matter. It is. Under military law a person who is retired from the military is subject to military law. Petraeus could be dismissed from the military, loose military benefits (retirement pay), and imprisoned. He has a lot to loose in this situation.
Quote from Vernon Loeb, the ghostwriter on Petraus biography:
Now, that's an understatement! Poor fellow.
Patreus is the civilian who boldly goes where a good husband should likely not go .
Civilian ≉Military .
Thank you .
Yes "poopy head" Petreaus made a bad decision. But he's not the first nor will he be the last.
Maybe General Betrayus got over being the head spook really fast. (Sorry, it just comes out like that ever since, every time!).
Anyway, doesn't this seem like a ploy to anyone else? I wouldn't want to run the Department of Spooks either. Hell, I'd have an affair with a woman\women too to get out of it then I'd take a really long shower. (Too much College Humor this morning I'm afraid..)
The CIA, the FBI, and the Pentagon have all relocated their headquarters to the set of some prime-time soap opera.
This is Homeland meets Housewives of New Jersey.
Pretty sad, huh? But your comment is a gem! thanks
Oh c'mon...IT'S ALL OBAMA'S FAULT...I'm not quite sure why at this point but I do know that the GOP/FOX will try to make it so.
Are the Republicans up to their same old tricks of manufacturing news to suit their agenda? Anything to make the President look bad.
Ms. Kelley has 30K emails on her computer from Allen in Afghanistan and asks an FBI friend to look into harrassing emails from Broadwell? How privileged is she that she thinks that could be over-looked?
Why isn't anyone asking why Broadwell sent those emails in the first place?
Those in Petraeus' innner circle, they suspected an affair because who gets a book deal to write a bio on such a high profile individual without ever having written one?? A red flag for Mrs. Patraeus.
Ya, no story here except the secret lives and scandals of the privileged rich guys and the crazy lady's they got in bed with.
No disrespect for the good general. Maybe the GOP can now make him king of Texas.
The Patraeus issue for CIA work is having a secret life that then makes one vulnerable to BLACKMAIL.
From the CIA perspective, the Patraeus issue is not about sex, though that will keep the press (and apparently, alas, even dear Rachel) busy for way too long. Rachel please get back to the real issues facing us.
Where's The Family in all this? C'mon, I wanna hear some C Street dish!
But seriously, folks, all Ex-Gen/Ex-DCI David the Great needs to do to get back on track for the 2016 GOP nom ("Rampant hypocrisy? Check") is to address some rightwing Christian Family Values Summit. I'm sure Ralph Reed can set something up.
This chain of events (barring the actual affairs) sounds disturbingly like something that would happen in a middle school. Where are the real adults?
Listening to the rightwing talking heads on Morning Joe today, I was struck by the fact that they were all saying that Petraeus is such an outstanding guy that he needs to be back at CIA, and that this just shows that his private life shouldn't have any impact on his job. Of course, these were the very same folks that felt Clinton needed to be impeached for something far less long-term and innocuous. In fact, they read a op-ed from the Washington Post that said that as long as it has no impact on job performance, such things as an affair should not even be brought up. I guess it is another case of IOKIYAR, with the twist that the guy having the affair is not to blame, only the administration. If this was such a big deal, why didn't Cantor spill the beans when he heard about it in October? Once again, because it dealt with a repub "hero". Otherwise, he would have been happy to leak it to the press just days before the election.