Petraeus affair

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David Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell (July 13, 2011)

The Petraeus Affair is a political affair that became public on November 9, 2012 with the resignation of the director of the CIA , former Army General David Petraeus . General Petraeus had an extramarital affair with his biographer, reserve officer Paula Broadwell . This relationship had been uncovered by the FBI when they investigated a complaint from an acquaintance of the Petraeus family because of threatening e-mails . These emails also led the investigators to Broadwell, on whose computer classified documents were found. After Petraeus was informed of the FBI's investigation by the National Intelligence Director, Petraeus submitted his resignation.

people

David Petraeus

Petraeus was born to a Dutch-American family. His father served in the US Army during World War II . After Petraeus graduated from Cornwall Central High School, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point at the age of 18 . He then became an infantry officer and married Hollister "Holly" Knowlton in 1974 (daughter of former General William A. Knowlton ). The marriage produced a son and a daughter.

Petraeus was deployed in the Iraq war from 2002 and in the occupation of Iraq since 2003 in a leading position. His last position was in command of the US Central Command, which is the parent of the US Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan . He was also the commander of the US Forces Afghanistan and ISAF from July 2010 to July 2011 . In these functions, he is considered to be the leader behind the reorientation of the US armed forces towards counterinsurgency, which resulted in a new operational doctrine. After 37 years of service in the US Army, Petraeus resigned from active service on August 31, 2011.

From September 6, 2011 until his resignation on November 9, 2012, Petraeus was director of the Central Intelligence Agency . His role was taken over by Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell .

Paula Broadwell

In the spring of 2006, David Petraeus, then still Lieutenant General, gave a lecture at Harvard University . It was there that he first met the reserve officer Paula Broadwell. At that time she was taking part in a postgraduate course. The two then stayed in contact and the general agreed that Broadwell write a biography about Petraeus. She visited him several times for long periods in Afghanistan when he became ISAF commander in chief there in June 2010.

On January 24, 2012, Broadwell published her Petraeus biography All In: The Education of General David Petraeus . The book was co-authored by journalist Vernon Loeb .

John Allen

John R. Allen

In November 2012, the Pentagon investigated the previous commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), US General John R. Allen . This is said to have sent potentially "inappropriate" emails to Petraeus' family friend Kelley. The Pentagon said Allen was suspected of "improper communication" with Jill Kelley. Pentagon spokesman George Little announced on January 22, 2013 that the investigation had not found any immoral behavior by Allen.

Frederick W. Humphries II

Frederick Ward Humphries II, the FBI agent who started the investigation, was an acquaintance of Jill Kelley. In the course of the FBI investigation, he was withdrawn from the case because supervisors were concerned that he was overly obsessed with the investigation. It was also found that Humphries had sent a photo of himself to Kelley showing him shirtless between two, apparently bullet-studded, life-size male dolls with no abdomen. Humphries later told the Seattle Times that dozens of friends and acquaintances received this picture for fun in the fall of 2010, shortly after Humphries was transferred to Tampa from the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base detention center . Humphries later contacted a Republican congressman from Washington state , where Humphries was formerly stationed, to express speculation that the FBI had sidelined him for political reasons. The Office of Professional Responsibility , the Internal Affairs of the FBI, determined these photos because of transmission.

Humphries had made headlines twice before 2012 while serving with the FBI. In December 1999, his knowledge contributed accent of Algerian French speakers to the fact that the statements of Ahmed Ressam , a French-Canadian to be, as were incorrectly recognized and Humphries shot in May 2010 outside the MacDill Air Force Base one armed with a knife man with two Shots. The incident has been classified as harmless.

FBI investigation

In May 2012, FBI agents screened Petraeus' private e-mail accounts for security issues. The official occasion was a request from the then 37-year-old Jill Kelley, who received anonymous threatening emails. She claimed that the emails said she was flirting with Petraeus. The married couples Petraeus and Kelley had been friends for years. According to US media reports, the FBI came across intimate emails that Petraeus Broadwell is said to have sent during the investigation.

As a result, agents of the FBI questioned Broadwell in late October 2012. The then 39-year-old admitted the affair and released her computer with secret documents. Petraeus was also questioned by the FBI and is said to have also admitted the affair. However, both are said to have credibly denied that Petraeus gave secret documents to his lover.

The FBI found classified material on Broadwell's computer. The public prosecutor's office then looked at how important these classified information actually are.

After Petraeus resigned, dozens of FBI agents searched Broadwell's home in North Carolina for documents. In November 2012, the Pentagon investigated the previous commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), US General John R. Allen . This is said to have sent potentially "inappropriate" emails to Kelley.

resignation

On the evening of the 2012 presidential election , the US Department of Justice briefed National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper about the Petraeus affair. According to media reports, Clapper is said to have suggested that Petraeus resigned. The UCMJ military penal code continues to criminalize adultery if it damages the reputation of the armed forces and threatens discipline and order in the force. For adultery, the military can be dishonorably dismissed, lose their pension rights, and even serve a year in prison (Section 134 of the UCMJ).

On November 7, 2012, according to media reports, US President Barack Obama was only informed of the affair one day after his re-election. One day later, on November 8, 2012, Petraeus submitted his resignation to Obama. Obama confirmed his resignation a day later and publicly paid tribute to Petraeus' services. Obama did not publicly name reasons for the general's move. Petraeus was considered a promising candidate for the office of outgoing Defense Minister Leon Panetta until his resignation, which was surprising at the time .

After the resignation, congressional intelligence experts demanded clarification as to why the White House was informed so late about the affair uncovered by the FBI. Petraeus was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and $ 100,000 fine in April 2015 following an admission of guilt.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Petraeus resigns from CIA (English) . In: USA Today , November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012. 
  2. ^ CIA director David Petraeus resigns over extramarital affair ( English ) CNN. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  3. ↑ a b Tagesschau: Chronology of the Petraeus Affair ( Memento from November 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ US General Allen exonerated in e-mail affair
  5. ↑ [1] "FBI agent linked to Petraeus scandal identified as Frederick Humphries," CBS News, November 14, 2012
  6. ↑ [2] "Topless picture with bullet holes" SPON v. November 16, 2012
  7. ^ A b Mike Carter, Mystery FBI agent in Petraeus scandal revealed Seattle Times November 14, 2012
  8. ↑ Dan Mangan: Shirtless photos of FBI agent who helped bring down Petraeus surface. New York Post , November 16, 2012, accessed November 21, 2012 .
  9. ↑ Devlin Barrett, Evan Perez and Siobhan Gorman: FBI Agent in Petraeus Case Under Scrutiny (English) . In: The Wall Street Journal , November 13, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012. 
  10. ^ Rick Rothacker: Three women intertwine in downfall of David Petraeus (English) . November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012. 
  11. ↑ Hal Bernton, Mike Carter, David Heath and James Neff, Chapter 13: On the Case The Seattle Times June 23 - July 7, 2002
  12. ↑ Süddeutsche: Unfaithful US soldiers face draconian punishments
  13. ↑ SPIEGELonline: $ 40,000 fine: Ex-CIA boss Petraeus averts the trial. Retrieved March 3, 2015 .
  14. ↑ SPIEGELonline: David Petraeus affair: Ex-CIA boss convicted of treason. Retrieved April 27, 2015 .
  15. ↑ DIE WELT: Betrayal of secrets: Ex-CIA chief sentenced to suspended sentence. Retrieved April 27, 2015 .