Levin: Number of e-mails between Kelley and Allen ‘astounding’
The sheer volume of e-mails between ISAF Commander Gen. John Allen and Jill Kelley, the woman who initiated the FBI investigation that ended the career of CIA Director David Petraeus, is "astounding," the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Tuesday. "The number of e-mails between the two is an astounding number of e-mails," ...
The sheer volume of e-mails between ISAF Commander Gen. John Allen and Jill Kelley, the woman who initiated the FBI investigation that ended the career of CIA Director David Petraeus, is "astounding," the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Tuesday.
The sheer volume of e-mails between ISAF Commander Gen. John Allen and Jill Kelley, the woman who initiated the FBI investigation that ended the career of CIA Director David Petraeus, is "astounding," the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Tuesday.
"The number of e-mails between the two is an astounding number of e-mails," Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) told some reporters in the basement of the Capitol building Tuesday. "But if you can get over that number, then the question is, hey let the IG [inspector general] do the appropriate investigation… I’m not going to jump to any conclusions."
Levin said he had a long phone call with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Monday evening, during which Panetta explained the circumstances regarding the administration’s decision to place on hold Allen’s nomination to become the next Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of Europe Command. The Defense Department’s Inspector General’s office is reviewing the e-mails now.
Levin, along with several other senators, have canceled their meetings this week with Allen. The Cable spotted his presumptive successor, Gen. John Dunford, in the Capitol complex Tuesday. Dunford’s confirmation hearing to be the next ISAF commander will go on as scheduled Nov. 15 and he is expected to be confirmed.
Levin and SASC ranking Republican John McCain (R-AZ) put out a statement Tuesday saying that the ISAF leadership transition is scheduled for February and the Europe leadership transition is scheduled for March. Until then, Allen should stay on in his post, Levin said.
"He ought to stay on unless there is some reason put forward that he has done something wrong, and then the military leaders should decide what the action should be. But until there’s some acknowledged evidence he’s done something wrong, there’s no reason for him to leave," said Levin. "I don’t know what happened there but the IG is going to find out."
Levin said he would wait to begin any congressional investigation into the matter until the IG investigation is completed.
Defense officials have said there were between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of e-mails between the two. A New York Post report said that Kelley’s sister Natalie Kwaham had invoked Allen and Petraeus’s names in her custody battle. She also invoked in legal papers the names of Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Spokesmen for Kerry and Whitehouse both said the senators had met Kwaham through Kwaham’s boyfriend Gerald Harrington, a Democratic Party fundraiser.
Levin said he was "deeply saddened" by the news that Petraeus was resigning due to an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell. He also said he agrees with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, who said today that eventually Petraeus should testify about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benhgazi.
"If he has some relevant information, sure, at some point [Petraeus should testify]," Levin said. ABC news revealed Tuesday that Petraeus traveled to Libya late last month to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Levin said Senate leadership has assured him the National Defense Authorization bill will be the Senate’s first order of business after Thanksgiving. Levin said he believes the Senate will have only three legislative days to debate and pass the bill.
The Cable asked Levin if he believed Kerry would make a good defense secretary, an idea floated in the Washington Post Monday evening. "I think he would be terrific," Levin said.
Josh Rogin covers national security and foreign policy and writes the daily Web column The Cable. His column appears bi-weekly in the print edition of The Washington Post. He can be reached for comments or tips at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.
Previously, Josh covered defense and foreign policy as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, writing extensively on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, U.S.-Asia relations, defense budgeting and appropriations, and the defense lobbying and contracting industries. Prior to that, he covered military modernization, cyber warfare, space, and missile defense for Federal Computer Week Magazine. He has also served as Pentagon Staff Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, in its Washington, D.C., bureau, where he reported on U.S.-Japan relations, Chinese military modernization, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and more.
A graduate of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Josh lived in Yokohama, Japan, and studied at Tokyo's Sophia University. He speaks conversational Japanese and has reported from the region. He has also worked at the House International Relations Committee, the Embassy of Japan, and the Brookings Institution.
Josh's reporting has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, CBS, ABC, NPR, WTOP, and several other outlets. He was a 2008-2009 National Press Foundation's Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow, 2009 military reporting fellow with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the 2011 recipient of the InterAction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He hails from Philadelphia and lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @joshrogin
More from Foreign Policy
Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.
Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.
How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
