NBC NEWS: CIA Director David Petraeus resigns, cites extramarital affair

[AsburySkinsFan]

Not at all. Anyone that thinks that there was information out there that indicated an increased threat level. Or that there were a few things that could have been done prior to September 11th to mitigate that threat. Have probably been brainwashed by I think the term that smart people use is Fox News..or as the clever people refer to it "Faux News". Because clearly there are only 2 positions out there...1) That Obama orchestrated and assassination.(which I have seen nobody advocate by the way) and 2) Everything was handled exquisitely prior to and on the night of September 11th. Don't listen to what that conservative windbag Dianne Feinstein has to say on the matter...she can't be trusted.

Ok, I'm getting the sense that you're aggitated about something, but since you haven't expressed what that is as of yet, I'm a bit confused by what reads like snark. So, I'll just ask....what's your point, directly please and not with sacrcasm or snark. I want to kow what you're driving at.

Oh and people are suggesting some very wild conspiracies out there.

[Redskins Diehard]

Ok, I'm getting the srnse that you're aggitated about something, but since you haven't expressed what that is as of yet, I'm a bit confused by what reads like snark. So, I'll just ask....what's your point, directly please and not with sacrcasm or snark. I want to kow what you're driving at.

Oh and people are suggesting some very wild conspiracies out there.

Man, your "srnse" is off. I am saying that absolutely positively 100% I do not believe that Obama orchestrated the assassination of the Ambassador. Since I do not believe he orchestrated the assassination of the ambassador I do not think he is covering tracks related to that activity. One step farther...there was absolutely nothing to indicate that different security measures could have been prudent in Benghazi. Either increased forces or decreased presence.

I will have to come through the board to see where the soldiers of truth are suggesting that Obama orchestrated the assassination. I personally think Rupert Murdoch was behind it.

[NavyDave]

I agree. Why do government officials, elected or not, have to lose their job if they are unfaithful? Granted he resigned but who cares who you have sex with? As long as it's legal and consensual?

If he started the affair while he was still active duty, which apparently he did, its conduct unbecoming an Officer, though if he was to be really charged for adultery it would probably be Article 134.

The "purely coincidental" resignation excuses were that his actions could have made him vulnerable to blackmail and a military man as himself wanted to set a proper example for the troops... libertarian CNN said this over the weekend.

He still needs to testify about the Libya fiasco, dismiss the misspeak from that babe that there was a Rendition facility with Libyan prisoners in Benghazi. Who did not think there would be attempts / acts of terrorism on 9-11 and 11-9 (911 part 2) either here or abroad ion places where Al qaeda flags were flying and where the British ambassador was attacked?

The Obama administration at the least is guilty of gross incompetence, IMO.

Some will believe his agenda to be perceived as ending terrorism after my Seals took out Obama Bin Laden, thanks to data gathered during the Bush years, compromised the Ambassador's safety.

[thebluefood]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-considers-john-kerry-for-job-of-defense-secretary/2012/11/12/8a0e973a-2d02-11e2-a99d-5c4203af7b7a_story.html

Looks like John Kerry's name has appeared in the shuffle.

[thebluefood]

Double your posting, double your fun.

[JMS]

Now wanting to know about Benghazi is equal to or greater than birther. Shocked the guy that is keeping the timeline is saying this.

"Wanting to know". That's a laugh... you already think it's a conspiracy... you think the President and the DoD was in co hoots to murder Americans.. And yes that does seem equal to or greater than the birther movement.

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-considers-john-kerry-for-job-of-defense-secretary/2012/11/12/8a0e973a-2d02-11e2-a99d-5c4203af7b7a_story.html

Looks like John Kerry's name has appeared in the shuffle.

Interesting. I had seen his name a lot for Secretary of State, but not Secretary of Defense.

He would seem a sensible choice, if the Democrats are willing to put his Senate seat up for grabs.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Man, your "srnse" is off. I am saying that absolutely positively 100% I do not believe that Obama orchestrated the assassination of the Ambassador. Since I do not believe he orchestrated the assassination of the ambassador I do not think he is covering tracks related to that activity. One step farther...there was absolutely nothing to indicate that different security measures could have been prudent in Benghazi. Either increased forces or decreased presence.

Yeah, my srnse was fat fingers. LoL! Maybe I'm just too used to seeing crazy on the internet that when someone speaks sanity it sounds like sarcasm.

I will have to come through the board to see where the soldiers of truth are suggesting that Obama orchestrated the assassination. I personally think Rupert Murdoch was behind it.

Not necessarily this board, more conspiracy theorists on the internet and facebook.

[JMS]

Because it shows a propensity to create elaborate webs of lies, a lack of moral fortitude and self control, and leaves open a vulnerability that others can use as leverage..

I don't think it's that. I think it's the fact that it opens you up to blackmail would be the objection of the clearance folks. It's like being gay or having a history of drug use. If you are out and open about it they don't really care but if you lie about it they figure you are a securitry risk... If you are not open about it it's a potential blackmail issue.

But that's not what occured here. Patreaus didn't get his clearance yanked. If he was caught while active duty he would be dismissed. He was having this affair while active duty. I think the fact he's retired now wouldn't cover the stink he is so high profile. It certainly would have been a big scandal. I think he very well might have had issues since he was active duty when it occured... I also think Patreaus wants to stay married with his wife, and thus resigned to concentrate on that.

[Larry]

Interesting. I had seen [Kerry's] name a lot for Secretary of State, but not Secretary of Defense.

He could make it on the Redskins defense.

[visionary]

http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324439804578115410189757452.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet&mg=reno64-wsj

CIA Disputes Broadwell's Benghazi Comment

The Central Intelligence Agency disputes a theory advanced by author Paula Broadwell that insurgents may have attacked the U.S. consulate and a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 in bid to free militants being held there by the agency.

Ms. Broadwell, the woman with whom former Army Gen. David Petraeus is said to have had an extramarital affair that led to his resignation as CIA director on Friday, suggested the rationale for the consulate attack in an address at the University of Denver on Oct. 26.

"I don't know if a lot of you had heard this, but the CIA annex had actually taken a couple of Libyan militia members prisoner and they think the attack on the consulate was an attempt to get these prisoners back," she said then. "It's still being vetted."

But a CIA spokesman said there were no militant prisoners there, noting that President Barack Obama ended CIA authority to hold detainees in 2009. "Any suggestion that the agency is still in the detention business is uninformed and baseless," said the spokesperson.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324439804578115410189757452.html

FBI Agent in Petraeus Case Under Scrutiny

A federal agent who launched the investigation that ultimately led to the resignation of Central Intelligence Agency chief David Petraeus was barred from taking part in the case over the summer due to superiors' concerns that he had become personally involved in the case, according to officials familiar with the probe.

New details about how the Federal Bureau of Investigation handled the case suggest that even as the bureau delved into Mr. Petraeus's personal life, the agency struggled with questionable conduct by one of its own—including allegedly sending shirtless photos of himself to a woman involved in the case.

The accusatory emails, according to officials, were sent anonymously to an account shared by Ms. Kelley and her husband. Ms. Broadwell allegedly used a variety of email addresses to send the harassing messages to Ms. Kelley, officials said.

One asked if Ms. Kelley's husband was aware of her actions, according to officials. In another, the anonymous writer claimed to have watched Ms. Kelley touching "him'' provocatively underneath a table, the officials said.

---------- Post added November-12th-2012 at 08:35 PM ----------

I don't think it's that. I think it's the fact that it opens you up to blackmail would be the objection of the clearance folks. It's like being gay or having a history of drug use. If you are out and open about it they don't really care but if you lie about it they figure you are a securitry risk...

But that's not what occured here. Patreaus didn't get his clearance yanked. For Patreaus he's retired from the military. If he was caught while active duty he would be dismissed. He was having this affair while active duty. I think the fact he's retired now wouldn't cover the stink. I think he very well might have had issues since he was active duty when it occured... I also think Patreaus wants to stay married with his wife, and thus resigned to concentrate on that.

Pretty sure the affair started while he was at the CIA, not in the military.

[thebluefood]

Interesting. I had seen his name a lot for Secretary of State, but not Secretary of Defense.

He would seem a sensible choice, if the Democrats are willing to put his Senate seat up for grabs.

I, too, could see him as Secretary of State, but Defense? What are his credentials (apart from his stint in Vietnam, which was very impressive)?

[Larry]

Not strictly about Petraeus alone, but not sure it's worth it's own thread, either.

Yahoo: Petraeus case shows FBI's authority to read email

WASHINGTON (AP) — Your emails are not nearly as private as you think.

The downfall of CIA Director David Petraeus demonstrates how easy it is for federal law enforcement agents to examine emails and computer records if they believe a crime was committed. With subpoenas and warrants, the FBI and other investigating agencies routinely gain access to electronic inboxes and information about email accounts offered by Google, Yahoo and other Internet providers.

"The government can't just wander through your emails just because they'd like to know what you're thinking or doing," said Stewart Baker, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and now in private law practice. "But if the government is investigating a crime, it has a lot of authority to review people's emails."

Under the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, federal authorities need only a subpoena approved by a federal prosecutor — not a judge — to obtain electronic messages that are six months old or older. To get more recent communications, a warrant from a judge is required. This is a higher standard that requires proof of probable cause that a crime is being committed.

More at link.

[zoony]

Interesting. I had seen his name a lot for Secretary of State, but not Secretary of Defense.

He would seem a sensible choice, if the Democrats are willing to put his Senate seat up for grabs.

It's Massachusetts. I might be going out on a limb, but I think the Dems seat is safe

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

I, too, could see him as Secretary of State, but Defense? What are his credentials (apart from his stint in Vietnam, which was very impressive)?

Chiefly his experience as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

And fwiw, he's probably more qualified than the current SecDef Leon Panetta...imo.

[Thiebear]

"Wanting to know". That's a laugh... you already think it's a conspiracy... you think the President and the DoD was in co hoots to murder Americans.. And yes that does seem equal to or greater than the birther movement.

I want to know about the CIA that saved the peoples lives (its remained murky even though its been proven )

I want to know who not only denied security but removed those that were there. 6 elite, 16 special ops

The only people that murdered people were Alqaeda - the bad guys.

It saddens me you have the topic on the timeline when you say such outrageous things ALL of the time.

[brandymac27]

It saddens me you have the topic on the timeline when you say such outrageous things ALL of the time.

Wait....HE'S saying outrageous things ALL the time? What about all the outrageous things so many in this thread have been implying?

[visionary]

It's Massachusetts. I might be going out on a limb, but I think the Dems seat is safe

Maybe. Brown is still out there. And Warren isn't anymore.

Back to the thread topic:

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

FBI spokeswoman: FBI is at the North Carolina home of Paula Broadwell, woman who had an affair with David Petraeus - @CNN

9:46 PM

What now?

[AsburySkinsFan]

Back to the thread topic:

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

What now?

Probably seizing her computers etc.

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/petraeus-told-biographer-to-stop-harassing-family-friend-officials-say/2012/11/12/6ccb325c-2d00-11e2-a99d-5c4203af7b7a_print.html

Petraeus hoped affair would stay secret and he could keep his job as CIA director

CIA Director David H. Petraeus did not intend to resign from his position until it became clear that his extramarital affair with his biographer would become public after a federal investigation of his e-mail accounts, according to two longtime military aides who admire the retired general.

In a farewell letter last week to CIA staff members, Petraeus *described his affair with Paula Broadwell as behavior that is “unacceptable both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.” The statement and others from his allies in the days that followed created an impression that he had stepped down of his own volition, and out of a sense of moral obligation.

But some of his closest advisers who served with him during his last command in Iraq said Monday that Petraeus planned to stay in the job even after he acknowledged the affair to the FBI, hoping the episode would never become public. He resigned last week after being told to do so by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. on the day President Obama was reelected.

“Obviously, he knew about the relationship for months, he knew about the affair, he was in it, so yes, he was not going to resign,” said Peter Mansoor, a retired Army colonel and Petraeus’s executive officer during the Iraq “surge,” who spoke Monday with the former general for about half an hour. “But once he knew it was going to go public, he thought that resigning was the right thing to do. There is no way it would have remained private.”

Kelley’s brother said that his sister dined and shopped regularly with Holly Petraeus, and that she had no idea her complaint would eventually reveal an extramarital affair. David Khawam, a lawyer in New Jersey, said his sister called him Sunday morning and told him to turn on the news, which featured her role in the unfolding investigation.

[visionary]

LOL, there's a lot of speculation on twitter now among media and intelligence/foreign policy analysts about "Agent Shirtless" and the FBI's involvement in this case.

Was this guy having an affair with Kelley or just a bit nutty?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/us/timeline-shows-fbi-discovered-petraeus-affair-in-summer.html

Motives Questioned in F.B.I. Inquiry of Petraeus E-Mails

On Monday night, F.B.I. agents went to Ms. Broadwell’s home in Charlotte, N.C., and were seen carrying away what several reporters at the scene said were boxes of documents. A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case remains open, said Ms. Broadwell had consented to the search.

Ms. Kelley, a volunteer with wounded veterans and military families, brought her complaint to a rank-and-file agent she knew from a previous encounter with the F.B.I. office, the official also said. That agent, who had previously pursued a friendship with Ms. Kelley and had earlier sent her shirtless photographs of himself, was “just a conduit” for the complaint, he said. He had no training in cybercrime, was not part of the cyber squad handling the case and was never assigned to the investigation.

But the agent, who was not identified, continued to “nose around” about the case, and eventually his superiors “told him to stay the hell away from it, and he was not invited to briefings,” the official said. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Monday night that the agent had been barred from the case.

Later, the agent became convinced — incorrectly, the official said — that the case had stalled. Because of his “worldview,” as the official put it, he suspected a politically motivated cover-up to protect President Obama. The agent alerted Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, who called the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, on Oct. 31 to tell him of the agent’s concerns.

The official said the agent’s self-described “whistle-blowing” was “a little embarrassing” but had no effect on the investigation.

---------- Post added November-13th-2012 at 12:30 AM ----------

Um...read it...just...yeah...:ols::ols:

http://americablog.com/2012/11/abc-denver-reportedly-misnames-petraeus-biography-all-up-in-my-snatch.html

---------- Post added November-13th-2012 at 01:13 AM ----------

Things are getting crazy. Now it's involving the commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

Pentagon investigating top commander in Afghanistan for emails to woman in Petraeus scandal - @AP

1:06 AM

More: FBI probe has expanded to include Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan - @washingtonpost

1:08 AM

[visionary]

Now this is just getting ****ing bizzare:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/13/us-usa-petraeus-investigation-idUSBRE8AC05Z20121113

Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan under investigation, scandal widens

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, is under investigation for allegedly inappropriate communication with a woman at the center of the scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus, a senior U.S. defense official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The shocking revelation threatens to fell another one of the U.S. military's biggest names and suggests that the scandal involving Petraeus - a former four-star general who had Allen's job in Afghanistan before moving to the CIA last year - could expand much further than previously imagined.

The U.S. official said the FBI uncovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of communications - mostly emails and spanning from 2010 to 2012 - between Allen and Jill Kelley, who has been identified as a long-time friend of the Petraeus family and a Tampa, Florida, volunteer social liaison with military families at MacDill Air Force Base.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement given to reporters flying with him to Australia that he asked that Allen's nomination to be Commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe be delayed "and the president has agreed."

Allen, who is now in Washington, was due to face a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, as was his slated successor in Afghanistan, General Joseph Dunford.

[Jumbo]

Class distinction. The Secret Service has to use prostitutes but the big brass can have traditional affairs.

These are hardly new human behaviors for some people at these levels, but it's a lot easier to get caught (with proof) these days. Almost ironic that the very type electronic trails and trackers that are used to prosecute the bad guys help bust our own.

[visionary]

For anyone who needs an overview of what's going on:

http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/david-petraeus-scandal-explained

The David Petraeus Scandal, Explained

Who knew what and when? Scandal engulfs Gen. John Allen too. And what's up with the shirtless FBI agent?

[Larry]

Class distinction. The Secret Service has to use prostitutes but the big brass can have traditional affairs.

I'm starting to have the mental image of Gen Buck Turgison and Miss Foreign Affairs, from Strangelove.