Ex-CIA director Petraeus reaches plea deal in claimed classified docs leak to mistress
A retired four-star general, known both for his wartime leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan and stepping down as CIA director after an affair came to light, has taken a plea deal in a case over classified documents he allegedly provided to his lover.
David Petraeus has ended a “spectacular fall” by pleading guilty to a single federal misdemeanor count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, reports the New York Times (reg. req.). The maximum possible sentence in the Charlotte, North Carolina, case is a year in prison.
The now-retired four-star general was accused of leaking classified documents to former Army Reserve officer Paula Broadwell, with whom he was having an affair in 2011, as she was working on a his biography, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.
Petraeus admitted in a signed statement that he made false statements to FBI investigators about providing Broadwell with classified information, reports Politico.
Federal investigators focused on emails between Broadwell and Petraeus after stumbling on them during a probe of emails sent by Broadwell to another woman.
Petraeus previously denied wrongdoing, and has been supported by top politicians including President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain, R-Ariz. In December, McCain wrote U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking that the investigation be wrapped up so that it would not continue to limit the benefits the country could derive from its most experienced military leader.
Petraeus is now a partner at the Kohlberg Kravis Roberts private equity firm.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Reports: FBI Was Looking for Classified Documents During Search of Paula Broadwell’s Home”
New York Times (reg. req.): “After Scandal, Petraeus Stays Under Radar, but Not Out of the Spotlight”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Leaked emails that led to exposure of Petraeus affair violated socialite’s privacy, suit claims”
Washington Post (reg. req.): “Lawsuit by Jill Kelley, socialite involved in Petraeus case, allowed to go forward”
