No new raps for Petraeus
DEFENSE OFFICIALS have decided that former CIA head and four-star general David Petraeus will not face further discipline for leaking secret documents to his mistress, according to reports.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will not demote the scandal-plagued former commander, who was forced to resign in 2012, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
“Given the Army’s review, Secretary Carter considers this matter closed,” Stephen Hedger, assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, wrote in a letter, obtained by The Washington Post.
The note was sent Friday to the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the chairman and top Democrat of the committee, had urged Carter to drop the matter, saying the retired officer had “admitted his guilt and apologized for his actions.”
At a committee hearing Jan. 21, Eric Fanning, President Obama’s nominee to be the Army’s top civilian official, said he believed no further action should be taken against Petraeus.
Petraeus (photo, left) pleaded guilty last April to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information, following an embarrassing extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell (photo, right). He also admitted that he lied to FBI agents about giving Broadwell access to highly classified information.
The 63-year-old philanderer admitted he loaned Broadwell eight binders containing classified information regarding war strategy, intelligence capabilities and identities of covert officers from his time in Afghanistan.
He received two years’ probation and a $100,000 fine as part of a plea deal. No charges were brought against Broadwell.
Petraeus’ career unraveled after he resigned from the CIA in 2012 after the allegations surfaced. Once one of the top commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, Petraeus was considered a possible presidential contender before his fall from grace.
Carter could have stripped Petraeus of his four-star status and part of his pension. The Army had recommended no further action be taken against the disgraced general.