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Government

Report: Mistaken Reference to Corruption Led to Petraeus FBI Investigation, Intercepted Emails Referred to ‘Sex Under a Desk’

Nov. 10, 2012 11:50am
Petraeus Broadwell

Gen. David Petraeus resigned as CIA director Friday after admitting to having an extramarital affair, said to be with biographer Paula Broadwell who wrote this year’s “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.” (Getty, AP photos)

The FBI investigation that cascaded into Gen. David Petraeus’ resignation as CIA director reportedly started after an email Petraeus sent to his girlfriend was mistaken for a reference to corruption, according to Newsmax.

Ronald Kessler, the journalist and author who broke the Secret Service prostitution scandal, reported Friday that the FBI had been investigating Petraeus for “many months” when he abruptly resigned Friday.

The investigation began [late this] spring, but the FBI then pored over his emails when he was stationed in Afghanistan [in charge of U.S. forces from July 2010 to July 2011].

The woman who was having an affair with Petraeus is a journalist who had been writing about him.

Given his top secret clearance and the fact that Petraeus is married, the FBI continued to investigate and intercept Petraeus’ email exchanges with the woman. The emails include sexually explicit references to such items as sex under a desk.

Such a relationship is a breach of top secret security requirements and could have compromised Petraeus.

At some point after Petraeus was sworn in as CIA director on Sept. 6, 2011, the woman broke up with him. However, Petraeus continued to pursue her, sending her thousands of emails over the last several months, raising even more questions about his judgment.

The Wall Street Journal reported that despite the longstanding FBI investigation, Petraeus was not interviewed until recently:

While Mr. Petraeus was still a general, he had email exchanges with the woman, but there wasn’t a physical relationship, the person said. The affair began after Mr. Petraeus retired from the Army in August 2011 and ended months ago, the person said.

Multiple news organizations have identified the woman as Paula Broadwell, a reserve Army officer who co-wrote this year’s “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.” Broadwell has not commented since Petraeus’ resignation and has deleted her website.

The New York Observer pulled some information about Broadwell from her site before it was deleted, including that she spent most of a year in Afghanistan with Petraeus working on the book. It also unearthed her description from a February book talk of how she first met him while a graduate student at Harvard University:

“He came to Harvard University where I was a graduate student and wanted to speak with students about the merits of [the] counter-insurgency approach to fighting the Iraq War, which we were losing at the time….I went up to him and said I’m writing my thesis on negotiating with terrorists and I think it could help your team win and you should really read it and he was kind of enough to indulge me and take the paper and give me his business card. We kept in touch via email for a couple years, and I was still a graduate student. Two years later, I reached out to him if he would speak to students at Harvard…He agreed to do a video teleconference from Baghdad. I asked him if I could use him as a case study in my doctoral dissertation, and he agreed.”

As it happened, Broadwell published an item in Newsweek on Monday titled “General David Petraeus’s Rules for Living,” which included a maxim about making mistakes:

5. We all will make mistakes. The key is to recognize them and admit them, to learn from them, and to take off the rear­ view mirrors—drive on and avoid making them again.

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Comments (154)

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  • JMJME
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 1:02pm

    I hope Gen. David Petraeus sings like a canary and does not hold anything back for his new Book.

    Report this comment

    JMJME  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 1:11pm

      And the FBI “IS” called a ‘world class’ investigative body. Yeah, right.

      Report this comment

      Ruler4You  
    • jaylew
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 3:22pm

      This is disappointing…I was hoping that it was discovered that he had blown a SEAL.

      The filth and nasty polemics in this country is simply astonishing…..and here I am thinking that just looking a pretty girl across the street is a betrayal of the love my girlfriend has shown and provided to me.

      Let me say this once Glen without you censoring or removing my at times sordid or off color comments……if this country doesn’t get it’s proverbial mind right pretty soon…we are all f-**cked.

      Report this comment

      jaylew  
    • ANTISOCIAL-IST
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 3:30pm

      oh, so the fbi spied on a u.s. citizen because of a mistake. sounds just like when leo swat teams kick down doors in the middle of the night, throw stun grenades through the window while young children are sleeping on the floor and burn/injure them and then say, oops, our bad, we got bad info from some drug addict trying to save their own a$$.
      welcome to the ussr.

      Report this comment

      ANTISOCIAL-IST  
    • Wildblue3
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 4:01pm

      The problem is that this is likely Obama’s way of removing him and destroying his credibility. There must be more to the emails that would humiliate him. That’s why he went forward with it.

      Report this comment

      Wildblue3  
    • Stuck_in_CA
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 6:54pm

      Boy o boy. Y’all better read this one, too:
      Cover-up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
      Barack Hussein Obama was aware of the CIA director’s indiscretions “long before” the November 6, 2012 elections, and knew about the FBI’s investigative findings weeks before the election….
      http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/50976#.UJ7kGEVmnMc.twitter

      Report this comment

      Stuck_in_CA  
    • 1947
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 9:06pm

      Until one walks in the shoes of another it’s to hold your to comment. He’s a Military LEADER, he will let us know WHY. Keep in someone turned the FBI on to him…….THE MEN & WOMEN OF THE MILITARY always stand by their LEADER……The leader will took a shot for as we would do for them…..stay fast there’s more to come……..He has your BACK

      Report this comment

      1947  
    • Lamarr01
      Posted on November 11, 2012 at 2:36am

      The New York Times, Washington Post and the Associated Press will publish any story the administration sends to them. The FBI reports to Eric Holder. It’s implausible the FBI was investigating “corruption”.

      Hillary and Obama will never allow Petraeus to testify to Congress. Richard Colby was a former director of the CIA. On April 26, 1996, he was in the middle of dinner, he left the table, jumped into his canoe and mysteriously drowned in the lake. His body was never recovered and he was writing a book.

      In the middle of Watergate, Richard Nixon fired the CIA director, Richard Helms.

      Report this comment

      Lamarr01  
    • jlightning1
      Posted on November 11, 2012 at 7:30am

      Add your comments

      Report this comment

      jlightning1  
    • KoolAidDrinker
      Posted on November 11, 2012 at 10:41am

      Yeah! Petraeus should have hired Hillary to handle the bimbo eruptions.

      Report this comment

      KoolAidDrinker  
    • 1947
      Posted on November 11, 2012 at 11:30am

      @ LAMARR01 – You’re right as right….for more info go to Pecangroup.org. There’s more info about Colby and others.

      Report this comment

      1947  
  • Free_Thinker
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:58pm

    The title of the book was appropriately named.

    Report this comment

    Free_Thinker  
  • GlennaBeckski
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:53pm

    Interesting title…

    Report this comment

    GlennaBeckski  
  • ginger100
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:47pm

    “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” worked before.

    Report this comment

    ginger100  
    • Aviefar
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 1:01pm

      Yes, but writing thousands of sexy e-mails? What at earth is the duty of the head of the CIA? to write multiply e-mails to ask his girlfriend not to leave him? Pathetic!

      Report this comment

      Aviefar  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 1:35pm

      Not very smart to use work email to communicate with your lover. You use a private email account for that. It doesn’t really say what account he was using, but it sounds like he was using an official email account. If not, did they have a warrant?
      I learned my lesson when my place of business asked me to stop writing so many non-business emails.

      Report this comment

      Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 2:41pm

      GINGER100, LOL, it did for a little while. Until he told the same story in court and charged with, and found guilty of perjury. Then the libs changed their story to the conservatives tried to impeach Clinton for part of his private life. Spin, spin, spin, spin….wonderful spin….

      Report this comment

      RJJinGadsden  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 2:52pm

      Hi RJJ,

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SwNXQMoNps

      Report this comment

      The-Monk  
  • Margyt
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:43pm

    Affair started after he resigned as General? FBI looking at it for months. CIA position recent? I think we need to let Gen. Petraeus resign, mend his life and live in peace. I hope he is the kind of guy who will tell the truth to congress behind closed doors. Sounds like mid-life crisis for a very disciplined man.

    Report this comment

    Margyt  
    • Hanner
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:47pm

      Barry and Crew don’t make mistakes. They make plans.

      Report this comment

      Hanner  
    • jaylew
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 3:41pm

      No MARGYT ..absolutely not…I dont care how many stars he has or what he has done for or against this country……if a human being….in this case a man…..cannot maintain control over the position of the zipper on his own pants at ALL times….then he deserves every ounce of shame that lack of discretion deserves. Any human being…including a man who dedicated nearly 40 years of service to his and this country……has with each passing day….a certain obligation to maintain that level of discretion. The notion that a momentary lapse is okay or forgivable in an occupational sense is the exact problem this country currently suffers. Everyone knows that everyone is fully capable of making mistakes. That in and of itself is not an excuse to allow that mistake to go without a consequence. I don’t throw stones because I am a nobody… a nothing in the general scheme of life and things…but once you earn and permit yourself to be elevated above others…..then it DOES matter if you lose control of your zipper. I hope everyone whoever laughed about the “General Betrayus” headline is happy….I hope everyone who found this man’s governmental service as admirable is happy……but I won’t be happy until something like this results in a real man “offing” himself on national television camera……maybe then this silly population will understand that what people say and think and do really does matter. This Obama disease is like a snakebite that is spreading quickly.

      Report this comment

      jaylew  
  • justangry
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:43pm

    The head of the CIA (the fricking CIA) sent emails (fricking Emails) regarding sex under the desk. Does the head of the CIA not know that his emails would be read? Something just doesn’t sit right. I wonder what kind of crap they’re going to pull while the media is all over the latest sex scandal.

    Report this comment

    justangry  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:56pm

      Of course he knew because privacy does not exist in modern day America,there’s so much dirt on this regime that all of them should be in prison.Petraeus’s punishment should be the same as Clinton’s leave office and do speeches and become a multimillionaire.

      Report this comment

      progressiveslayer  
    • Female
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 3:52pm

      Revenge 2 days post election, after knowing for 18 months:
      Pet is just an example of what you will experience if you step out of line.

      simply move on folks, nothing to see.

      Report this comment

      Female  
  • suzpenn
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:38pm

    As I’ve said before, 1. it makes no sense that this man, or anyone, especially one who heads-up the CIA, would not realize that emails are not private conversations. 2. As we are learning this ‘affair’ took place and was rather ‘known’ by those few ‘in the know’ before Petraeus was offered the position at the CIA. That’s an important point because he would have been given a lie detector, and subjected to in-depth security searches. If he had Flatulence on every other Tuesday, ‘they’ would have known about it . . . so, 3. The Obama Administration knew of this ‘affair’ and held it over Petraeus’s head to use him to say what they wanted – as we witnessed in the first statements and testimony regarding the attack in Benghazi and 4. Finally, Petraeus came out and stated that at no time did anyone in the CIA refuse to send help to those in Benghazi, which cost him his job and forever blemished his great record.

    Then, too, Petraeus was scheduled to testify again, now as a private citizen he is not bound by these threats, we will see… Right now he’s not testifying. But all of this begs to question why Petraeus, who’s no dummie, would send these emails, KNOWING, that by doing this would no doubt reveal this affair – unless he wanted that?

    Report this comment

     
    • Frederick_Douglass_Republican
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 1:17pm

      It was just a “mistake” that the FBI went headlong into an investigation of this man? I do not believe it. There have been way way too many “coincidences” in this administration, the most corrupt administration ever to occupy the White House.

      Report this comment

      Frederick_Douglass_Republican  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:36pm

    She was a patriotic pole puffer,did it for her country!

    Report this comment

    progressiveslayer  
    • Hanner
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:44pm

      Ezekiel 33–12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.’ 13 If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, NONE of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.
      If God judges us this way, so do we.

      Report this comment

      Hanner  
    • Salamander
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 3:29pm

      I hate to bring this up, but she could have been a Russian agent, rather than a U.S. Army Officer (Reserves)! Kinda makes me wonder about a whole bunch of other people in this administration that apparently never even went through an FBI background check!

      Report this comment

      Salamander  
  • Derus
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:34pm

    Darrell Issa
    John McCain
    Glenn Beck
    Rupert Murdoch
    Roger Ailes
    Bill O’Reilly

    12 November 2012

    RE: CIA Director resigns 3 days before Congressional Hearings? The Benghazi Gate Coverup has taken on new charges!

    Gentlemen:

    Please expose the lengths Obama is taking to conceal the Benghazi Coverup.

    The Congress has the power to continue to require any “private citizen” to give sworn testimony before Congress.

    Now they say Ex-CIA Director David Petraeus is a “private citizen”. Wonder who dug up this “extra-marital affair” and how long ago?

    Cass Sunstein or?

    Suspect David Petraeus has been forced out to silence the only honest man in possession of the TRUTH OF THE BENGHAZI GUN RUNNING BY OBAMA OF USA STINGER MISSILES DIRECTLY TO AL QAEDA AND MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD RADICALS.

    What does Fox News think?

    What will the The Blaze do to seek the truth?

    What are you willing to force out the truth of Benghazi Gate?

    Silence in the presence of Evil is itself Evil.

    Are you all afraid?

    Kind regards

    Report this comment

    Derus  
    • susan in Texas
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 2:31pm

      Derus- are you kidding about Fox, on this they have been the first with the most on the whole Bengazimess,-hammering away with Greta in the lead- they have been working their butts off while the mainstream media—? crickets!

      Report this comment

      susan in Texas  
  • BehindBlueEyes
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:30pm

    Sounds like the General was giving this woman a four star tour of all the in’s and out’s.

    Report this comment

    BehindBlueEyes  
  • NDPINDNT
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:30pm

    He was set up to be the fall guy and thrown under the bus by this administration to be the fall guy for Benghazi. That way, Clinton is protected and she can run for President in 2016. I really feel that is the bottom line on this.

    Report this comment

    NDPINDNT  
    • Jedrin
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:40pm

      thousands of emails to this woman? The timing was the only thing, and he must not have been Liberal enough. The refrence to corruptions being investigated… they were afraid he was going to out O

      Report this comment

      Jedrin  
  • jman-6
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:27pm

    I think Petraeus wouldn’t tow the line but now O’s plan will backfire as Petraeus can say anything as a private citizen.

    Report this comment

    jman-6  
  • avoter
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:26pm

    While this is all very interesting and a great distraction, I wonder if the blaze will be reporting on the petition filed at the white house. gov on Nov.7?

    Report this comment

    avoter  
  • Derus
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:26pm

    PURELY COINCIDENTAL?

    The only honest man with knowledge of BENGHAZI GATE FORCED FROM OFFICE LESS THAN A WEEK BEFORE SELECT CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY.

    BUNK.

    BENGHAZI GATE FELONOUS AND IMPEACHABLE ACTS AND COVERUP TAKE AN EVEN MORE CYNICAL TURN?

    SELECT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE: Call David Petraeus as a “PRIVATE CITIZEN” next week.

    SILENCE IN THE PRESENCE OF EVIL IS EVIL?

    Report this comment

    Derus  
  • neverending
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:21pm

    Really pathetic because they know the majority of the American people are so flippin ignorant and believe anything no matter how obvious it is. Just hope Mrs. P gets the best attorney that exists and takes this wimp to the cleaners.

    Report this comment

    neverending  
    • hatchetjob
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 1:37pm

      So much for members of the military holding themselves to a higher standard. There is none righteous, no not one.

      Report this comment

      hatchetjob  
  • Crazy Times
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:20pm

    that’s great. we pay these people to have sex under a desk…

    i bet he looks up to Clinton, in more ways than one.

    Report this comment

    Crazy Times  
  • barber2
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:17pm

    Was ” mistaken ?” The FBI started this last spring , but the White House only learned of this two days AFTER the election ?? Ho. Ho. Ho. This is even phonier than ” the Benghazi attack was triggered by that ( phony ) video ” How many more lies will the American people allow ??

    Report this comment

    barber2  
    • momrules
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:43pm

      How many more lies Barber? as long as there is food on the table, electricity and running water. America has sold it’s soul.

      Report this comment

      momrules  
    • screamineagle
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 2:02pm

      Remember The “Free Phone” Lady? That Explain How Long? Forever,,, As Long As The “Free” Keeps Coming In The Mail…

      Report this comment

      screamineagle  
  • chips1
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:08pm

    Under the desk? That’s Reid and Pelosi’s gig.

    Report this comment

    chips1  
  • Southerner01
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:08pm

    Am I the only one that finds the name of her biography funny, in light of the affair?

    Report this comment

    Southerner01  
  • In the O.C.
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:04pm

    They can say what they want (and maybe it’s the actual truth – cough cough), but the TIMING on this is so suspicious it’s a joke. Now – all of sudden – Patreaus QUITS? Over an affair? Cripes – William Jefferson Clinton as PRESIDENT didn’t quit over geting b.j.s in the Oval Office, so why is Patreaus? Oh yeah, there is a “code of conduct”. Aren’t we all SO GLAD that a Code of Conduct DOESN’T APPLY when you are a Democrat President????? My my – that does apply to so MANY who come to mind as I sit here typing this out. So many. We will NEVER know the truth about what REALLY took place in Benghazi. They will all get off scot-free, including the guy in the White House.

    This nation is going to be so judged by God, it’s scary, and I can’t even think what He’s going to do.

    Report this comment

    In the O.C.  
  • Pigpen
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:03pm

    And the Libya 9/11 story is now dead.

    Report this comment

    Pigpen  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:00pm

    “Mistaken References” code from DC for: fabricated and then used for political blackmail by Emperor Caligula-Obama

    Report this comment

    Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • bekhiet
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 11:59am

    Nice distraction, however, I still want to know why this man is covering up Benghazi? As the CIA director and the men killed were CIA, was he involved in their mission over there? There is more to this story. Who are the traitors? If he is innocent of wrong doing, then I hope he gets some courage and do what is right. Althouugh, how could he NOT know the facts already?

    Report this comment

    bekhiet  
  • CatB
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 11:59am

    Really??? Not any smarter than putting all the sex info in emails? How the H did he pass the clearance to be the HEAD of the CIA? This stinks.

    Report this comment

    CatB  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:12pm

      CatB – this smells of a setup and blackmail by the administration from front to back. The story here keeps changing almost by the hour as with Benghazi. Thus we know it has to be on orders of Obama.

      Report this comment

      Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • chips1
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:17pm

      Obama couldn’t get clearance to enter the back room of McDonalds and he is in the White House!!!!!

      Report this comment

      chips1  
    • taxpro4u03
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:19pm

      EXACTLY — Top ‘Snoop and Blab’ security agency and leaves an ‘e-mail trail’ w/duplicative agency ‘snoops’ — it’s their story — they can tell it any way they want… Night is day, day is night… Digital technology MUST be presumed to be ‘photoshopped’ — Presumption of Correctness rebuttal shifts that burden right back on the accuser…. Plausible Deniability. Smoke and mirrors. Intellectual dishonesty is unbecoming of….. ANYONE.

      Report this comment

      taxpro4u03  
    • barber2
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:39pm

      This entire incident started with that phony video . Remember it had a cast of characters which included ” George” who was ” a strong leader , romantic, a killer with no remorse, accent.” And two other characters listed as ” Condalisa and Hilary.” Come on, folks, this was a total set up or a flim- flam which had inflammatory language about Mohammed dubbed in AFTER the filming. Sound at all suspicious ? The video maker was whisked off to jail about as fast as those Russian spies were sent back to Mother Russia in 2009 .

      Report this comment

      barber2  
  • Sicialian Eyeball
    Posted on November 10, 2012 at 11:56am

    Sex under a desk???!!!!!!! Who the h-ll does this guy think he is? Bill Clinton?

    Report this comment

    Sicialian Eyeball  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:12pm

      Must be nice to have a desk that size.

      Report this comment

      RJJinGadsden  
    • chips1
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:20pm

      RJJ:
      Are you sure you mean DESK?

      Report this comment

      chips1  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on November 10, 2012 at 2:51pm

      CHIPS1, LOL, I do a lot of woodwork as a hobby, and have built a few desks, so yeah, that is actually what I was thinking at the time. I like your innuendo better though.

      Report this comment

      RJJinGadsden  
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