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Panetta: No Other Senior U.S. Military Officials Connected to Petraeus Scandal ‘At the Present Time’

Nov. 15, 2012 8:05am Jonathon M. Seidl

Leon Panetta Says No Other Senior Military Officials Inovlved in Petraeus Scandal

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, left, and his Thai counterpart Sukampol Suwannathat exchange documents after signing the 2012 Joint Vision Statement for the Thai – US Defense Alliance during a joint press conference following meetings at the Ministry of Defense in Bangkok on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. Credit: AP

BANGKOK (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday he knows of no other senior U.S. military officers being linked to the David Petraeus investigation that has ensnared the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen.

Speaking at a Bangkok news conference, Panetta said he retains “tremendous confidence” in Allen.

“I am not aware of any others that could be involved in this issue at the present time,” he said, adding that he wanted the American public to understand that the vast majority of military officers serve ethically and with distinction.

“One thing I do demand,” he said, “is that those who seek to protect this country operate by the highest ethical standards.”

Panetta declined to describe the nature of the emails and other correspondence between Allen and Florida socialite Jill Kelley, which others have called flirtatious and potentially problematic for the Marine four-star general.

Asked whether any of those emails are sexually explicit, Panetta said, “What I don’t want to do is to try to characterize those communications because I don’t want to do anything” to limit the ability of the Pentagon inspector general to conduct an objective review of the Allen matter.

Panetta ordered the investigation Monday after the FBI referred the matter to the Pentagon’s top lawyer. Allen issued a statement through his lawyer saying he is committed to cooperating fully with the investigation.

Panetta also told reporters he could not rule out the possibility that the Taliban in Afghanistan would try to use Petraeus’ admission of an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, for propaganda purposes. Petraeus, who resigned Friday from his post as CIA director, was Allen’s predecessor as top commander in Afghanistan, leaving in summer 2011.

“You’re never quite sure what the Taliban may or may not use for propaganda purposes to try to advance their cause, and obviously this is a possible area for them to explore,” Panetta said, adding that “if they want to have an impact” there are other issues they could try to exploit.

Panetta spoke at a joint news conference with his Thai counterpart, Sukampol Suwannathat, after the two signed an update to a 1962 U.S.-Thai statement framing their security relationship. The United States and Thailand are treaty allies – a relationship that Washington sees as a cornerstone of its security interests in Asia.

Panetta’s talks were intended to lay some of the groundwork for President Barack Obama’s visit here Sunday.

Panetta is the first U.S. defense secretary to visit Thailand since 2008. The U.S. has no troops permanently stationed in Thailand but it conducts regular exercises with the Thai military and has numerous other forms of cooperation.

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Comments (16)

buster2
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 2:15pm
WHO is running the asylum? Biden – who says to the father of slaim seal “did your son always have big balls” or “Chains I tell you, they are planning on putting you back in Chains”. Sure must be a bunch of idiots. No one ever knows anything, Obama, Holder, Penetta, Hillary, and all are great deflectors of the truth.

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buster2
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 2:12pm
Must all be idiots running the asylum as no one knows anything – procedures that have been in place for years must have been thrown out for a better system????, Obama is never informed – fast and furious, Holder knows nothing – Benghazi, send Rice out to do collateral damage it’s the video stupid and Obama is upset when it falls apart. Who would believe Penetta – I didn’t send a force into Benghazi because I didn’t know what was on the ground – when in fact they are tracking it in real time and that is what the military elite teams train to do. There is more to this story than is coming out whether another gun running operation or the fact that the killing of bin laden didn’t end the terror group as this administration told us it did. It is all the coverups and lies during the debates that bothers me, because the media is again giving Obama a pass.

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jrcess
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 10:30am
Panetta is totally disgusting. What about your lack of help on Benghazi?

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Just_Us2
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 9:55am
He has already said he gets his updates from the news…so how the hell can he claim to know anything. He is worthless.

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shammo
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 9:03am
Panetta is his own fool.

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dublinthewagons
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 9:01am
How about panetta and the small animals at the zoo. Oh that’s after his usefullness.

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biohazard23
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:56am
Just wondering if any of these military officials like to go hunting. They may wish to rethink their hobby for a little while, like for the next several years….

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IndyGuy
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:53am
Funniest part is this story comes outta ‘BANGKOK ‘

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- barber2
  Posted on November 15, 2012 at 9:02am
  So many cabinet members are away from Washington. Hmmm. Obama is off to give his overseas speeches soon. But Joe is still local… so we are safe ?! Hope the famous bus isn’t headed our way.
  
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IndyGuy
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:51am
‘At the Present Time’……HaHaHaHa…..stay tuned…

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Proverbs17-12NLT
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:51am
Amazing we can have 100% more information on a sex scandal than a terrorist attack that kills 4 innocent Americans, but a little black mouse told obama, it was a video a crude and despicable video.

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AJAYW
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:23am
He don’t know he only has whats spoon feed to him. What a stupid POS

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kaydeebeau
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:09am
….”at the present time”… let me translate – that means so far we know of no other folks who might be a liability to the story from the lying WH – however should we suspect that anyone might leave the reservation, rest assured we will find something to pin on them to render them humilitated and destroyed

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- AJAYW
  Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:24am
  or none that we need to tell about- just holding it over their heads in case they get out of line.
  
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- NOBAMASANDEE
  Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:34am
  Great post…..if I were anyone remotely involved in the lies and deceits practiced by this administration, I would be worried for my PHYSICAL health as well. ovomit has demonstrated his ability to CONDONE murder (REMEMBER BENGHAZI!!) to further his evil ends.
  
  I would not consider a slip/fall, car accident, or convenient suicide out of the question…..
  
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- barber2
  Posted on November 15, 2012 at 8:59am
  NOBAM: Watching the Obama Administration is like watching a spy thriller. Guess who the ” bad guys ” are ? Putin must be impressed. Maybe they’ll share pointers when the president visits him. Putin recently ” increased ” the grounds for treasonous activities . Stay tuned.
  
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