Second Woman in Petraeus Email Probe Identified

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Sun Nov 11, 2012 at 05:31:19 PM EST
Tags: David Petraeus (all tags)

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Jill Kelley, 37, of Tampa, Fla., an unpaid State Department liaison to the military's Joint Special Operations Command, located at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa (also home to the military's Central Command) has been identified as the woman who reported receiving threatening e-mails from Paula Broadwell.

Kelley and her husband are friends with Petraeus and it doesn't seem like they were having an affair.

The military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation, said Kelley had received harassing emails from Broadwell, which led the FBI to examine her email account and eventually discover her relationship with Petraeus.

A former associate of Petraeus confirmed the target of the emails was Kelley, but said there was no affair between the two, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the retired general's private life. The associate, who has been in touch with Petraeus since his resignation, says Kelley and her husband were longtime friends of Petraeus and wife, Holly.

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Second Woman in Petraeus Email Probe Identified | 15 comments (15 topical)

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Why are persons unwilling to be (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by oculus on Sun Nov 11, 2012 at 10:00:49 PM EST

identified identifying this family by name. Shameful.

I agree. (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by shoephone on Sun Nov 11, 2012 at 10:57:44 PM EST

Because those are the rules now. (none / 0) (#5)
by Anne on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 06:15:22 AM EST

The only thing that matters is getting the story, and if that means having to grant anonymity to sources, well, that's what they do.

I mean, I can't be the only one who figured it would only be a matter of time - and very little time, at that - before all the names would come out via "unnamed sources" who "were not authorized to discuss the matter, can I?

And no, I don't think that's the right way to report, but those making the decisions don't care what I think.


: I was criticizing the sources. (none / 0) (#6)
by oculus on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 07:17:23 AM EST

It's a given the media is after whatever info might surface.

Sad (none / 0) (#1)
by koshembos on Sun Nov 11, 2012 at 09:23:05 PM EST

The destruction continues. Petraeus devoted his life to military service or service to the people. He could've made millions with his leadership talents. Although, he wasn't the genius the media made of him, he was an excellent officer with a huge list of accomplishments.

Now, however, a minor so called moral transgression is distorting Petraeus' whole life.

: It's not the minor transgression... (none / 0) (#2)
by unitron on Sun Nov 11, 2012 at 09:37:54 PM EST

...it's the major judgement fail.
It ain't the sex, it's the stupidity.

WSJ article on investigation (none / 0) (#7)
by MO Blue on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 09:03:56 AM EST

Portions of article IMO raise even more questions.

Ms. Kelley didn't know who sent the emails. Some appeared to be accusing her of an inappropriate relationship but didn't name Mr. Petraeus. Agents determined the emails were sent from an account shared by Ms. Broadwell and her husband, who live in North Carolina, the officials said.
...
Top officials signed off on the interviews, which occurred in late September and October, just before the U.S. presidential election. During Ms. Broadwell's first interview in September, she admitted to the affair and turned over her computer, the officials said.
On her computer, investigators found classified documents, the U.S. officials said, a discovery that raised new concerns.
At Mr. Petraeus's interview in the week before the election, he also admitted the affair and said he hadn't provided the classified documents to Ms. Broadwell. Agents conducted a second interview with Ms. Broadwell on Nov. 2. She also said Mr. Petraeus wasn't the source of the documents. link h/t TPM

If the FBI found no criminality (5.00 / 2) (#11)
by ruffian on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 10:24:27 AM EST

why were they obligated to tell anyone? In fact they would be wrong to pass it along, IMO. During the Bush administration we fought for the maintenance of the firewall between the political WH and the justice department. It should apply here, IMO.


The timing of all of it is what bothers me. (none / 0) (#8)
by Anne on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 09:22:20 AM EST

How is it that in an environment and culture where leaks are stock in trade, not one whisper of this leaked out until after the election, and only because Petraeus resigned?

Worse, it isn't just that it didn't get out, it was that it was kept - deliberately, it seems - from those with oversight responsibility, including the president. Was this done out of fear that the situation would be politicized to the point where it would affect the election? I'd think so, except there were those who knew - like Eric Cantor - who might have been expected to use it to political advantage, but didn't.

If this were just a garden-variety case of lust winning out over common sense, that would be one thing, but now, with the revelation that there were classified documents on Broadwell's computer, well, that's something else.

This seems like a plot that is thickening by the day - not to mention "sickening."

And does it seem to anyone else that the uglier it gets, the harder people are working to venerate Petraeus and make Broadwell out to be a psycho that Glenn Close's "Fatal Attraction" character could be proud of?


Actually (none / 0) (#9)
by CoralGables on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 09:31:33 AM EST

Cantor likely was being political. Keep in mind that Petraeus is a Republican and his name often comes up as a possible Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate.

And that is why they are making Petraeus out to be the victim ("she got her claws into him").


Okay, I can see that there (none / 0) (#10)
by Anne on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 10:15:31 AM EST

might have been a calculation that news of the affair and whatever security issues it would entail would hurt future Republican causes more than Democratic ones, but I'm not sure I see that it would have hurt the GOP's chances of winning at a time when Romney was floundering to get back some momentum.

I mean, it's not like Petraeus was the candidate.

It's probably a quibble on the political aspects, but I don't see any credible reason why this wasn't moved through the proper channels; the risks that come with having a government that operates like that are significant - and that may be the real takeaway from this whole sordid mess.


I assume (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by CoralGables on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 10:48:33 AM EST

and dangerous to do that I know, that the investigation was originally to see if anything criminal had taken place. From what I've read, according the the FBI, word is nothing rose to the level of any criminal charges against anyone. From that standpoint, keeping everything under wraps was probably the best for all families involved.

Petraeus likely quietly retires or continues on had word of the relationship not leaked out. Since (according to Cantor) word was already out, Petraeus did the politically expedient thing and got out in front of it with Team Petraeus painting Broadwell as a rabbit boiler.

I'm not big on sex making the headlines and ultimately that's really what this is. Two married individuals stirring up National Enquirer type sexual online chatter. The right will reach to try to make a sexual tryst into Benghazi. Perhaps someone will write an editorial that this proves women have no place around the military. And Team Petraeus in needing to protect the Petraeus image will selectively leak info that Broadwell is totally respnsible.

Ultimately what Petraeus better hope is that Broadwell didn't save every email he ever sent her. I suspect nothing says I'm a wimpy 4 star general as much as cherry picked letters to your mistress.


: Boiling Bunnies (none / 0) (#14)
by nomatter0nevermind on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 05:34:41 PM EST

I don't understand how having a psycho girlfriend is supposed to make Petraeus look better.

Interesting tidbit from Drum (none / 0) (#13)
by MO Blue on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 11:27:31 AM EST

highlighted by Armando during his broadcast.

The involvement of the F.B.I., according to government officials, began when Ms. Kelley, alarmed by about half a dozen anonymous e-mails accusing her of inappropriate flirtatious behavior with Mr. Petraeus, complained to an F.B.I. agent who is also a personal friend. link

That's not a trivial amount of work. The FBI team spent weeks (months?) tracing email metadata, which requires court permission. One they figured out the emails had come from Broadwell, they began tracking her movements. Then they went to court to get a warrant to read her email. Then they apparently got a warrant to monitor a second email account belonging to someone Broadwell was having an affair with. It turned out to be Petraeus.
Wow. What kind of juice does Kelly have? This sure seems like a helluva lot more than your ordinary FBI attention to some harassing emails. link

Also it is my understanding that the FBI agent brought the matter to the attention of Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Washington who informed Cantor.

Bizarre (none / 0) (#15)
by Politalkix on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 07:45:33 PM EST

FBI agent who contacted Republican Congressman was sending Jill Kelley shirtless pictures.