General Petrayus: Breaking Laws And Consequences

General David Petraeus, a retired United States Army General and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information. He was sentenced to two years' probation and a $100,000 fine for providing his mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell, with unauthorised access to classified documents. Although Broadwell had security clearance, she lacked the specific access and need to know the particular classified material that Petraeus shared. This incident caused Petraeus to resign from his post as CIA Director.

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

General David 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 that he gave to his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

Petraeus reportedly began an affair with Broadwell, the principal author of his biography, after he left his ISAF command in July 2011 to become the director of the CIA. He ended the affair in the summer of 2012 when he learned that Broadwell had been sending harassing emails to a family friend of the Petraeuses, Jill Kelley. Kelley, a Florida socialite, approached an FBI agent she knew when she received these emails, and the subsequent investigation uncovered the affair and the mishandling of classified information.

Although Petraeus had ended the affair, he still gave 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. During the federal investigation, Petraeus deliberately and intentionally lied to federal investigators about providing Broadwell access to the documents and their improper storage.

Petraeus's guilty plea was part of a deal with the Department of Justice, which had initially recommended bringing felony charges against him. The case caused some controversy, as some believed that the information was never in real jeopardy due to Broadwell's position as a reserve Army officer with an active security clearance. However, others argued that the issue was that she lacked specific access and need to know for the particular classified material that Petraeus shared.

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. The fine was more than double the amount requested by the Justice Department.

The charge was related to the unauthorised removal and retention of classified material, which he gave to his mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell. The information was reportedly discovered during an FBI investigation into Broadwell, who was sending harassing emails to a family friend of the Petraeuses, Jill Kelley.

The FBI found that Petraeus and Broadwell had left messages for each other in a draft email folder, which were then read by the other person when they logged into the same account. This avoided leaving an obvious email trail.

Petraeus's admission of mishandling classified information, along with his extramarital affair, led to his resignation as Director of the CIA in 2012.

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

In 2012, it was revealed that General David Petraeus had an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The scandal led to Petraeus's resignation as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Broadwell was a US Army Intelligence Officer, writer, academic, and anti-terrorism professional. She co-authored the biography of Petraeus, titled 'All In: The Education of General David Petraeus'. The two are said to have first met at Harvard University in 2006, and Broadwell was embedded with Petraeus in Afghanistan.

The affair was uncovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2012, after Jill Kelley, a friend of Petraeus and his wife, reported receiving disturbing and threatening emails from an anonymous sender, later identified as Broadwell. The FBI's investigation uncovered thousands of emails between Petraeus and Broadwell, some of which were sexually explicit in nature.

While the affair did not result in any criminal charges for Broadwell, it had significant consequences for Petraeus. He resigned from his position as CIA Director on November 9, 2012, and later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified materials. He was given a two-year probationary period and a fine of $100,000.

The scandal surrounding Petraeus and Broadwell's affair brought significant media attention and sparked discussions about the standards of behaviour expected of military personnel and the potential impact on discipline and morale.

He resigned as CIA director in November 2012, citing this affair

General David Petraeus resigned as the director of the CIA in November 2012, citing his extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The affair was discovered during an FBI investigation, which also revealed that Petraeus had provided Broadwell with access to classified information. This constituted a serious breach of protocol, as Broadwell did not have the necessary security clearance to access such sensitive information.

Petraeus's actions had far-reaching consequences. In addition to his resignation, he faced legal repercussions for his mishandling of classified material. Initially, the FBI and Justice Department prosecutors considered bringing felony charges against him. However, Petraeus ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information. As a result, he was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000.

The affair and its aftermath not only impacted Petraeus's career but also attracted widespread media attention and sparked debates about the nature of military justice and the standards to which military personnel are held. Some commentators argued that Petraeus's case highlighted the unique nature of military justice, where certain behaviours are considered crimes even though they may not be punishable in the civilian world.

The scandal also raised questions about the potential impact on national security. While the compromised information was not believed to have been accessed by foreign powers, it underscored the risks associated with unauthorised disclosure of classified material.

Overall, the events surrounding Petraeus's resignation as CIA director in 2012 had significant personal, legal, and public implications, highlighting the complexities and consequences of such breaches in protocol and conduct.

General Petraeus was considered for a reduction in rank following his retirement

In 2016, the media reported that the Department of Defense was reviewing whether to recommend to the Secretary of Defense that General David Petraeus be demoted on the Army's retired list. This review was based on laws and regulations stating that members of the military are retired at the last rank in which they are deemed to have served successfully. Petraeus's admission of an extramarital affair and guilty plea to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information while serving in the rank of general could have been grounds for a reduction in rank to lieutenant general.

The matter was reviewed by then-Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh, who recommended no further action be taken. On 29 January, Stephen C. Hedger, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, informed the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had concurred with the Army's recommendation and would not impose any further punishment on Petraeus.

This decision was informed by the fact that Petraeus had already been punished for his indiscretion under federal law. He pleaded guilty in federal court to a single charge of the unauthorized retention and disclosure of classified material and was punished accordingly.

Some commentators argued that reducing Petraeus's rank in retirement would send a harmful signal to current and future senior military leaders, suggesting that no matter how well they serve, they could always be thrown "under a bus" for a minor indiscretion. Others asserted that there needs to be accountability for serious misconduct at all ranks of military service.

Ultimately, the decision was made to leave General Petraeus's four-star retirement intact, recognising his extraordinary effectiveness as a military leader and the overall contribution of his service.

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