Justice Department Recommends Charges for Petraeus
America’s most famous general could face prison time for providing his mistress with confidential information, according to a New York Times report.
The FBI and Justice Department prosecutors are recommending Gen. David Petraeus face federal charges for allegedly leaking confidential information to his mistress, the New York Times reported Friday. When that relationship was made public, Petraeus was forced to resign as director of the CIA in November 2012.
The FBI and Justice Department prosecutors are recommending Gen. David Petraeus face federal charges for allegedly leaking confidential information to his mistress, the New York Times reported Friday. When that relationship was made public, Petraeus was forced to resign as director of the CIA in November 2012.
The recommendation leaves the decision on whether or not to seek an indictment up to Attorney General Eric Holder, who has not yet announced whether he will follow the prosecutors’ recommendations. Peter Carr, a spokesman for the Justice Department, declined to comment on the investigation Friday.
Petraeus’ affair with Paula Broadwell, an Army reserve officer who worked closely alongside Petraeus while writing his biography, was made public when she sent threatening emails to Jill Kelley, a longtime friend of Petraeus.
The Justice Department is investigating if, during the course of his relationship with Broadwell, which is said to have begun in 2011, Petraeus granted her access to his CIA email.
Petraeus, a retired four-star general, denies sharing classified information with Broadwell. But after his resignation in 2012, FBI agents found classified documents on Broadwell’s computer, which raised red flags and prompted further investigation.
The scandal dented Petraeus’s public image. The former general had been widely considered a possible presidential contender after he led American forces first in Iraq and then in Afghanistan, beginning in 2010. He was tapped as head of the CIA by President Obama in 2011.
Shortly after the scandal, Obama said in a public statement that he had no reason to believe Petraeus had leaked any information that posed a serious threat to the nation’s security. “My main hope right now is — is that he and his family are able to move on and that this ends up being a single side note on what has otherwise been an extraordinary career,” Obama said.
Although Holder was expected to make a decision about whether or not to pursue the indictment by the end of last year, his lack of a decision to do so has reportedly caused some consternation among Justice Department investigators who argue that less senior officials have been prosecuted for what they consider to be lesser charges.
Alex Wong/Getty Images News
More from Foreign Policy
At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment
Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.
How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China
As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.
What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal
Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.
Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust
Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. 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.
