Local News Confronts Eric Cantor: If You Knew of Petraeus Affair Before the Election...Why Didn't You Go Public?

(Photo: AP)

One of the biggest concerns throughout the General Petraeus scandal has been why congressional leadership was seemingly kept in the dark of Petraus' affair. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) took to the national media on Sunday to criticize the fact that the FBI withheld the information, saying it struck them "like a lightning bolt."

And the implications of withholding that information are far-reaching-- many are wondering if it was strategically held until after the election to either remove Petraeus from the spotlight on the Benghazi hearings, or discredit him.

But on Sunday, it was revealed that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) knew of the affair for nearly two weeks before the matter became public knowledge.

CBS6/WTVR relates:

Rep. Cantor said a credible source contacted his office with the information.

“I had some information that I felt was information that raised some concerns for our nation’s security and that is why I acted as I did,” Cantor said at an event in Midlothian on Monday. “The FBI director’s office was appropriate place to go with this information.”

According to Cantor’s office, the Congressman learned of the incident on October 27. Cantor took the information to FBI Director Robert Mueller’s office on October 31.

So why did Cantor and congressional Republicans "sit" on the information?

WTVR has what little Cantor has said of the matter:

“I don’t want to comment, I don’t think it’s something we want to politicize — I think this is a national security concern,” Cantor said.

Dr. Bob Holsworth, political analyst for CBS 6, agreed with Cantor’s decision. He said if the information had come from Republican leader, it would have looked like a political stunt.

“I don’t think we know how this would have affected the elections, particularly coming from the House majority leader,” Holsworth said.

“I think it’s very important we have an investigation,” Cantor reportedly concluded. “We will leave it to our committee to properly go over the oversight investigation and what needs to happen.”

Watch the interview below:

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Related:

• NY Times: FBI Agent Suspected 'Politically Motivated Cover-Up' of Petraeus to Protect Obama
• ‘Could Have Had an Effect on National Security’: Senate Intel Chair Dianne Feinstein Will ‘Absolutely’ Investigate Why FBI Didn’t Tell Her About Petraeus Investigation
• FBI Source: Petraeus Case Held Until After Election to Not Hurt Obama Politically