New FBI documents revealed that Paula Broadwell, Sen. David Petraeus’s former mistress, has classified documents on her laptop. They found hundreds of documents, which were considered to be state secrets, according to a 2013 FBI affidavit. It was included as part of a search warrant of Petraeus’s home. Petraeus was the director of the CIA at the time.
The documents were unsealed on Tuesday by the U.S. District Court in Eastern Virginia. Petraeus was the subject of Broadwell’s new book in addition to being her lover. The FBI probe revealed their relationship as well as uncovering all of the classified information that he had given her.
This scandal unveiled Petraeus’ mishandling of government documents, for which he was fined $100,000. This also led to Petraeus resigning from the CIA. Broadwell, being the author of Petraeus’s biography, was never charged. The prosecution believed that her role as a journalist would make charging her problematic.
Broadwell would not comment on the case when asked on Wednesday. None of Petraeus’s defense team replied for comments either. The documents were partially redacted and had been sealed for three years.
Petraeus admitted to the affair with Broadwell in an October 2012 interview with the FBI in his CIA office. Broadwell claimed that she did not get the documents from the general, but she wouldn’t give any specifics as to how she got the documents. The investigation turned up emails between the two of them about the classified records. This included the General’s “black book” of diaries he kept as a commanding officer.
He officially apologized to Congress back in September. He was head of the CIA from September 2011 to November 2012. Here is some of what the general had to say to Congress:
“Four years ago, I made a serious mistake – one that brought discredit on me and pain to those closest to me. It was a violation of the trust placed in me and a breach of the values to which I had been committed throughout my life.”
He deserved more than just a fine. At least he is no longer in office.
Featured image by ResoluteSupportMedia via Flickr, available under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
