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U.S. Weighs Charges Against Gen. David Petraeus
by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700
Copyright
January 11, 2015
All Rights Reserved.
Adding insult to injury in the charmed life of
62-year-old former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus, the FBI and Justice
Department debate whether or not to file charges against the four-star general
for exposing classified information to his lover Paula Broadwell. Petraeus tendered his resignation as CIA Director to President Barack Obvama Nov. 9,
2013, admitting his affair with Broadwell. One of the most decorated military
leaders in U.S. history, Petraeus was key battlefield general with the 101st
Airborne in the early days of the Iraq War, eventually leading the
Multi-National force in 2007, eventually becoming U.S. Centcom Commander Oct.
31, 2008. Petraeus was a leading
voice backing the Iraq Study Group’s Jan. 5, 2007 report, calling for a
20,000-soldier troop surge ordered by former President George W. Bush Jan. 10,
2007, under considerable controversy.
Petraeus’s affair reportedly began after he ended his stint as Commander
of the International Security Assistance Force July 18, 2011 and officially
retired from the U.S. Army Aug. 31, 2011.
Petraeus retired from the military on such a high note, he was tapped
almost immediately to become President Barack Obama’s CIA Director after Leon
Panetta became Defense Secretary July 1, 2011.
Petraeus was confirmed June 30, 2011 in the U.S. Senate as CIA Director
[94-0], attesting to his popularity on both sides of the aisle. Taking over as CIA Director Sept. 6,
2011, Petraeus was regarded a rising political star without a ceiling, maybe
even president or vice president in the not-too-distant future. When news of his affair with
Broadwell leaked from a heated email exchange with Tampa socialize Jill Kelley,
it took months before Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr. got word of the breach.
Tracked by the FBI in later 2011 into 2012, it took months before the FBI
notified Homeland Security Direct James Clapper Nov. 6, 2012 about Petraeus’s
affair. Clapper notified the White
House Nov. 6, prompting Obama to call for Petreus’s resignation Nov. 9. Petraeus’s fall from grace
ranks as one of the most tragic acts of political self-destruction in U.S.
history. Since his Nov. 9
resignation, the FBI and Justice Department have been reviewing emails sent by
Broadwell on Petraeus’s classified email account. Soon-to-be-retiring 63-year-old
Atty. Gen. Eric Holder must decide whether or not to accept FBI recommendations
to charge Petraeus with breaching his security clearance. Petraeus told the Justice Department
that he didn’t share any classified information with Broadwell. FBI Director James Comey has been
rumored urging Holder to press charges against Petraeus for breaching classified
data.
Finding the FBI-Justice Dept. probe into Petraeus unusual, Sen. John
McCain (R-Ariz.) questioned the timing to the leaks regarding a possible
prosecution. “I cannot ignore the
broader concerns raised by the fact that this investigation apparently remains
unresolved nearly two years later and that the only information that has come to
light is through leaks by unnamed sources within the U.S. intelligence community
with knowledge of the matter,” said McCain, leaning against charging Petraeus. While McCain heads the Senate Armed
Services Committee, most folks think Petraeus has already paid a draconic price
for his affair. Affairs don’t
generally result in Cabinet members, elected officials or appointees resigning
or getting fired. Petraeus
voluntarily tendered his resignation to Obama for CIA director Nov. 9, 2013,
leaving government service in disgrace.
Using a classified email
account is a lot different than sharing top-secret information with your
significant other. After hitting
Petraeus’s career with a wrecking ball, the FBI and Justice Department should
get a grip. Petraeus and Broadwell
got snared in a love triangle, with Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, whose apparent
jealousy with Broadwell led to the email blasts that came to the FBI’s
attention. Prosecuting Petraeus
would be wasteful show trial with a dubious outcome. “This man has suffered enough,” said
81-year-old senior Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “He lost his job as CIA Director. How much do we want to punish
somebody?” said Feinstein, agreeing with McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
that enough-was-enough when it comes to Petraeus. All agree that any more legal hot
water for Petraeus would be the government piling on.
Petraeus’s story is all too familiar in the beltway where peccadillos
sabotage careers in otherwise competent and moral individuals. Watching Petraeus submit his
resignation as CIA director for his affair with Paula Broadwell shows how
relatively minor transgressions get blown out of proportion. Considered among the best military
minds in the country, it’s the nation that loses when the politically correct
mob imposes its will. Whatever
Petraeus did in his private life should not sabotage an otherwise stellar
37-year career in the U.S. Army.
Petraeus “made a mistake,” Feinstein told CNN.
But it’s done . . . He’s retired.
He’s lost his job. How much
does the government want?” not recognizing the real loser in political
correctness gone wild: The American
public. Robbed of Petraeus during
his prime, the country loses when the best-and-brightest are hounded from public
service.
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