General Petraeus: Violating Laws And Military Codes

General David Petraeus is a retired United States Army General and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 2015, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information, which he gave to his mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell. Although he avoided felony charges, Petraeus was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 for the unauthorised removal and retention of classified material.

General Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information

In 2015, General David Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information. This came after a 2012 scandal in which Petraeus, then Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), was found to have had an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. During the course of the FBI investigation into the affair, it was discovered that Petraeus had given Broadwell access to documents containing top-secret sensitive compartmented information. He also moved these documents to his personal residence and stored them in an unsecured drawer.

Petraeus was not charged with a crime for the affair itself, which reportedly began after he had retired from the Army. However, his actions in providing classified information to Broadwell, and his subsequent attempts to cover up the affair, led to his resignation from the CIA in November 2012.

Following the FBI investigation, the Department of Justice recommended bringing felony charges against Petraeus. However, in March 2015, it was announced that Petraeus had agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information. In his plea agreement, Petraeus acknowledged that he had provided Broadwell access to classified documents, moved them to his personal residence, and deliberately lied to federal investigators about his actions.

As a result of his guilty plea, Petraeus was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 for the unauthorised removal and retention of classified material. The fine was more than double the amount requested by the Justice Department.

The case of General Petraeus sent a strong message about the consequences of mishandling classified information and the expectation of conduct and professionalism for senior military leaders. Despite his distinguished career and successful service, Petraeus was held accountable for his serious misconduct, which led to his resignation, criminal charges, and punishment under federal law.

He was sentenced to two years' probation and a $100,000 fine

In 2015, General David Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information. He was sentenced to two years of probation and a $100,000 fine. This was more than double the amount requested by the Justice Department.

The charge related to the unauthorised removal and retention of classified material, which he gave to his mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell. The 15-page statement of facts filed by the government along with the plea agreement revealed that Petraeus had provided Broadwell with access to documents containing top-secret sensitive compartmented information. He then moved these documents to his personal residence, storing them in an unsecured drawer. The statement also noted that Petraeus had lied to federal investigators about providing Broadwell with access to the documents and their improper storage.

Petraeus's admission of an extramarital affair and his guilty plea regarding the removal and retention of classified information while serving in the grade of general could have been grounds for his rank to be reduced to lieutenant general. However, in January 2016, it was decided that no further action would be taken.

General Petraeus had an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell

General David Petraeus was involved in a highly publicised scandal that began with an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The affair was uncovered by the FBI in 2012, leading to Petraeus's resignation from his position as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Petraeus and Broadwell first met at Harvard University in 2006, before he had attained the rank of four-star general. Broadwell, a US Army Intelligence Officer and writer, was chosen by Petraeus to be his official biographer. She co-authored his biography, 'All In: The Education of General David Petraeus', during his time as commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The affair between Petraeus and Broadwell was reportedly carried out in secret, with the exact timeframe remaining unclear. They used fake names and free webmail accounts to exchange messages without encryption tools, sharing an email account where one would save a message in the drafts folder for the other to read and then delete.

The FBI investigation was triggered by a complaint about cyberstalking from Jill Kelley, a friend of Petraeus and his wife. The FBI discovered that Broadwell had been sending harassing emails to Kelley, and further investigation revealed the affair between Petraeus and Broadwell.

While the affair itself did not result in criminal charges for Petraeus, it brought to light other issues that had legal implications. The FBI found thousands of emails between Petraeus and Broadwell, some of which were sexually explicit in nature. More significantly, the investigation revealed that Petraeus had shared sensitive and classified information with Broadwell, who did not have the necessary access and clearance.

As a result, Petraeus pleaded guilty in federal court to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified materials. He received a two-year probationary period and a $100,000 fine. The scandal also led to his retirement from the military, and there were discussions about retroactively reducing his retirement grade from four-star general to three-star general. However, many argued that this would send a harmful message to senior military leaders, and it was ultimately decided to leave his four-star retirement intact.

He resigned as CIA director in November 2012

General David Petraeus resigned as the director of the CIA in November 2012, citing an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, which was discovered during an FBI investigation. This incident led to further revelations of mishandling classified information, as he had provided Broadwell with access to documents containing sensitive information. As a result, Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information and was sentenced to two years of probation and a $100,000 fine.

Prior to his resignation, General Petraeus had an illustrious career spanning over three decades in the United States Army, where he served in various leadership roles and combat missions across the globe. He was known for his expertise in counter-insurgency warfare and played a significant role in the Iraq War. After his retirement from the military, he was nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the Senate to lead the CIA.

The scandal surrounding his extramarital affair and mishandling of classified information not only led to his resignation from the CIA but also raised questions about the availability of accurate information from the agency regarding an attack in Benghazi, Libya, which occurred a month prior to his resignation. Despite the controversy, General Petraeus is recognised as one of the most prominent U.S. military leaders of the post-9/11 era, known for his contributions to counter-insurgency strategies and the global war on terror.

The affair was discovered during an FBI investigation

In November 2012, General David Petraeus resigned from his position as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), citing an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, which was reportedly discovered during an FBI investigation.

The affair was discovered when Jill Kelley, a Florida socialite who frequently entertained senior military personnel, approached an acquaintance at the FBI Tampa Field Office regarding anonymous emails she deemed threatening. These emails were traced back to Broadwell, and the FBI noted that Broadwell appeared to be exchanging intimate messages with an email account belonging to Petraeus. This instigated an investigation into whether that account had been hacked or was being used by someone impersonating Petraeus.

Rather than transmit emails to each other's inbox, which would have left a more obvious email trail, Petraeus and Broadwell left messages in a draft folder and read the draft messages when they logged into the same account. This was discovered by the FBI, who also found that Petraeus had provided Broadwell with access to documents containing top-secret sensitive compartmented information.

In January 2015, the FBI and Justice Department prosecutors recommended bringing felony charges against Petraeus for providing classified information to Broadwell while serving as Director of the CIA. Eventually, Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information. He was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 for the unauthorised removal and retention of classified material.

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