He had it coming
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave no reprieve to former CIA Director David Petraeus when asked if the former general deserved to lose his post this fall. Panetta was asked to explain, as a former CIA director, “why General Petraeus was forced to resign rather than a lesser punishment?” The secretary chortled, "You got ...
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave no reprieve to former CIA Director David Petraeus when asked if the former general deserved to lose his post this fall.
Panetta was asked to explain, as a former CIA director, “why General Petraeus was forced to resign rather than a lesser punishment?”
The secretary chortled, "You got to be kidding me!”
After the audience laughter settled, he said, “You know, in this town, with that kind of email, do you think he could have survived as director of the CIA? I don't think so."
Petraeus resigned his post days after the presidential election, admitting an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Broadwell and Petraeus reportedly left draft email messages to each other on a gmail account. Broadwell was told by the federal government on Tuesday she would not face cyberstalking charges over allegedly harassing emails she sent to Jill Kelley, the Tampa woman who hosted events for military brass including Petraeus and Gen. John Allen, the Afghanistan war commander. Emails between Allen and Kelley remain under investigation by the Defense Department Inspector General.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave no reprieve to former CIA Director David Petraeus when asked if the former general deserved to lose his post this fall.
Panetta was asked to explain, as a former CIA director, “why General Petraeus was forced to resign rather than a lesser punishment?”
The secretary chortled, "You got to be kidding me!”
After the audience laughter settled, he said, “You know, in this town, with that kind of email, do you think he could have survived as director of the CIA? I don’t think so."
Petraeus resigned his post days after the presidential election, admitting an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Broadwell and Petraeus reportedly left draft email messages to each other on a gmail account. Broadwell was told by the federal government on Tuesday she would not face cyberstalking charges over allegedly harassing emails she sent to Jill Kelley, the Tampa woman who hosted events for military brass including Petraeus and Gen. John Allen, the Afghanistan war commander. Emails between Allen and Kelley remain under investigation by the Defense Department Inspector General.
Kevin Baron is a national security reporter for Foreign Policy, covering defense and military issues in Washington. He is also vice president of the Pentagon Press Association. Baron previously was a national security staff writer for National Journal, covering the "business of war." Prior to that, Baron worked in the resident daily Pentagon press corps as a reporter/photographer for Stars and Stripes. For three years with Stripes, Baron covered the building and traveled overseas extensively with the secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, covering official visits to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Middle East and Europe, China, Japan and South Korea, in more than a dozen countries. From 2004 to 2009, Baron was the Boston Globe Washington bureau's investigative projects reporter, covering defense, international affairs, lobbying and other issues. Before that, he muckraked at the Center for Public Integrity. Baron has reported on assignment from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the South Pacific. He was won two Polk Awards, among other honors. He has a B.A. in international studies from the University of Richmond and M.A. in media and public affairs from George Washington University. Originally from Orlando, Fla., Baron has lived in the Washington area since 1998 and currently resides in Northern Virginia with his wife, three sons, and the family dog, The Edge. Twitter: @FPBaron
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