Prosecutors from the FBI and Justice Department have recommended bringing felony charges against former CIA chief Gen. David Petraeus for leaking classified information to his mistress, the New York Times reports.
The ultimate decision on whether prosecutors will pursue the case now rests with Attorney General Eric Holder.
Petraeus was embroiled in scandal in 2012 after he was revealed to be having an affair with Paula Broadwell, the woman who was writing his biography. The Times reports that the FBI discovered classified documents on her computer.
Retired Gen. David Petraeus resigned his post as CIA director last year after it was revealed he had had an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell. Statistics compiled by the Associated Press reveal that sex is among the chief reasons that senior military officers are fired. (Getty Images)
The report continues:
Mr. Holder was expected to decide by the end of last year whether to bring charges against Mr. Petraeus, but he has not indicated how he plans to proceed. The delay has frustrated some Justice Department and F.B.I officials and investigators who have questioned whether Mr. Petraeus has received special treatment at a time Mr. Holder has led an unprecedented crackdown on government officials who reveal secrets to journalists.
The protracted process has also frustrated Mr. Petraeus’s friends and political allies, who say it is unfair to keep the matter hanging over his head. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, wrote to Mr. Holder last month that the investigation had deprived the nation of wisdom from one of its most experienced experts.
[...]
Since his resignation from the C.I.A. on Nov. 10, 2012, Mr. Petraeus has divided his time between teaching, making lucrative speeches and working as a partner in one of the world’s largest private-equity firms, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.
Mr. Holder has said little publicly about the investigation. The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, asked by reporters in December why it was taking so long, said: “I can’t say. I mean, I guess I could say, but I won’t say.”
Read the complete story at The New York Times.
