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Subscribe to RSSThe woman who triggered the investigation that led to the resignation of CIA chief David Petraeus threw lavish parties for top military brass – and also racked up debt. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
The FBI agent who was asked by Jill Kelley to look into disturbing emails she received was a friend of hers and never had a further part in the investigation, a senior law enforcement official said Tuesday.
The official says the FBI agent had met Kelley many months before she complained to him about the threatening emails -- allegedly sent by Paula Broadwell, Gen. David Petraeus’ biographer and a woman with whom he is believed to have had an affair.
The agent sent Kelley a photo of himself with no shirt, "as a joke, a gag" at least six months before she began receiving the troubling emails, the official said. There is, the official said, no indication that the relationship between the two was anything more than a friendship.
But the official says that after Kelley came to the agent with her complaint, he faded from the picture and was not in on the investigation. Then agents discovered the shirtless photo in her e-mails, which was reported to his supervisors, resulting in an internal investigation into whether he acted inappropriately.
He's the same agent who contacted House Republicans in October to complain that the investigation was stalled. But, the official said, the agent was far out of the loop and had no idea all of the investigative activity still under way at that point.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s office called the FBI on Oct. 31 asserting that it had heard from an FBI agent who raised concerns that the matter was being covered up or not being taken seriously.
Those who know the two women at the center of General David Petraeus' affair scandal are speaking out. Jill Kelley's brother says she is "dedicated" to her husband, while Paula Broadwell's friend calls her "a pretty great person." NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
"I was contacted by an FBI employee concerned that sensitive, classified information may have been compromised and made certain (FBI Director Robert) Mueller was aware of these serious allegations and the potential risk to our national security,” Cantor said in a statement.
Cantor's office was told that the case was being actively investigated by the FBI, and so it would have been wrong for the FBI or Justice Department to inform higher-level officials in the administration about the probe earlier -- because they were unsure at that point what they were dealing with. In the end, according to multiple officials, investigators determined there was no criminal wrongdoing.
The agent provides yet another link to Kelley, who has become a central figure in the scandal that led to the resignation of Petraeus over his affair with Broadwell: Her complaint to the FBI kicked off the investigation, and her emails with another major military figure, Gen. John Allen, have led to an investigation over allegations of “inappropriate” emails between Allen and Kelley. Allen replaced Petraeus as commander in Afghanistan last year.
The emails between Allen and Kelley do not signify the two had an affair, a defense official told NBC News on Tuesday. “There was no affair,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The emails in question could be misconstrued, the official said, predicting that the investigation will prove Allen’s innocence.
NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams contributed to this report.
Ret. Col. Jack Jacobs weighs in on the scandal that has ensnared former CIA chief David Petraeus and Gen. John Allen, telling TODAY's Savannah Guthrie that Allen has a stellar career and great reputation but he "wouldn't be surprised" if his NATO nomination was withdrawn.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Jill Kelley: The woman at the heart of a scandal
- FBI agent sent shirtless photos to Kelley, officials say
- ISAF commander Gen. John Allen under investigation over 'inappropriate' emails
- Video: Pregnant wife runs over spouse for not voting, police say
- Hearing loss the most prevalent injury among returning veterans
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It's too bad they weren't on the dating site called Married Secrets - they would have been able to continue their relationships without any issues ---- In the meantime, Allen must have a lot of time on his hands to send 30,000 emails to Kelly I read -and he's not going to send them to her unless she responds with what he wants to hear. Shame on her and him and all of these people who are supposed to set an example.
Oh who cares. It's just all part of UCLASA (United Conservative Liberal Associated States of America) We can all do want we want. Think I'll go over to my neighbors house and get his snowblower.
Military B()ners Standing Strong! It's part of the secret EMBOSS program you may have heard rumors about.
Jill Kelly looks like a good sausage shaker.
I was stationed in germany with the 3rd ID and when we went on field exercises the wives would go to the discotek and mess with the single soliders. there was a lot of cheating oversea's in germany
How much crap can u people take? All of this is hiding the real issue and that's Benghazi!!!! It's time to restore the Republic.
PS remember the lie of weapons of mass destruction, well this is what u get. A total nightmare of a country being lead into pure socialism.
When Reagan was president, he said that Medicare is pure socialism and will destroy this country. He was an idiot too. It's still on YouTube for anyone who doubts that he said this. He said it several times.
with gay in our gov. and the miltrary, a hetosexual man can't have sex with a woman without a scandle.. we're ruining these peoples lives. And the man in question is one of our heros...doesn't that mean anything to anybody..and that haven't even proved of any wrong doing on anybodies part..i ashamed of being an american right now. these should be allowed so privicy...instead of rewarding the man we bring him home then drag him to the ground. Hey, i'm just an ole country boy but it ain't non of our business who is doing who..if you trust him, thats one thing but who he is doing or not doing is no bodies bussiness. its just gossiup and americans just love that stuff, you'd think we were a bunch of old women with nothing better to do.
WOW The spending and the people are out of control with this administration, And he got back in, what the hell. And it has just started, they probably know they will not have a job in 4 years so anything goes, including any chance we have for having a great country again, thanks obama and the gang.
Show us your pecs! Come on, let's see 'um. we had to endure Paul Ryan's "buff workout" pics. So......
Wonderful way to set up a distraction for the real problems we have in this country.
Maybe the upside to this whole sordid list of affairs will be that the Patriot Act, one of the most unAmerican, unconstitutional pieces of legislation ever passed. might actually get looked at and altered, if not actually repealed.
Meanwhile, does anyone really think that women respond to cheesecake shots? Guys do, but women have traditionally not been that visually oriented.
The strange thing about all this, is these guys are in the FBI and the CIA and they can't even figure out how to have an affair and not get caught. What chance do we have of keeping any military secrets. Where do they find these dopes ?
It needs to be established whether or not the "shirtless" FBI agent who called Cantor had ANY relationship/contact with Cantor prior to his call. It's one of the many things that smell fishy!!
My mother had a great line for men such as these: There's no fool like and old fool.
If I read this correctly, this was being investigated by FBI.....nothing was found to create a problem...but the FBI agent was a Republican....went to Eric Cantor to tell him about the investigation.....Cantor then proceeded to question the report before the election. Sounds like Cantor was looking for a October surprise...it did not happen...now the whole story is erupting...Way to go Mr. Cantor.....a typical GOP hypocrite.
Im starting to get worried generals and admirals and now head of the CIA , congressman all these guys getting involved in scandals. It used to be the privates and enlisted men you had to worry about. Now its the so called leaders ,this seems to indicate a moral failure at the higher levels, what is happening to our country?.
It started in Cartegena.
JFK liked a little extra nooky from time to time. Where have you been??
Moral failure at the highest level. So what do you think about the Catholic priests backdooring young boys?? At least the generals are screwing women. Adult women!!
.
Huntley and Brinkley must be spinning in their graves to see how low NBC has fallen.
From respected news source to yellow rag journalism.
At the present rate of decline NBC News will make the defunct Weekly World News appear to be first class journalism.
,
Fox is there for you. All news is for people who live in republican land and are offended by comments about reality. They even have some cartoons for their viewers.
Foxnews.com has some very serious, thoughtful articles right now, like....
"Keira talks fantasy breasts"
and
"Stewart shocks in sheer dress"
and
"Hot stars who went ugly"
So what if he sent her pictures of himelf shirtless. It doesn't matter. Anywhere there are people,there is going to be sex. Get over it!
So Cantor contacts the Director and not the President ? Way to go Eric.
As someone mentioned to me last week, "Nixon was reelected in a landslide in 1972; look what happened to him."
This scandal, and the other distractions of late, could toast the careers of a few more politicians, legal counsels, and ambassadors.
Should have sent the pictures to Al-Qaeda
Apparently all these emails were being sent back and forth on GMail accounts. Head of the CIA is having a "clandestine" affair and he's using GMail, figuring that it's secure, presumably. WOW...
i just read all the comments..if we don't back our gov. who is going to. i all read who a bunch little kids making comments about things that they don't really know any thing about..what am i talking about some of you say obama is and his bunch are right, others above say they are left wing...thats just an example. he is our president and whether you voted for him or not... i didnt. but we should now put our differences aside and all pull together.. what you guys are doing is why our country is so messed.. we are divided, we can win like that. so suck it up. i finished the 6th grade, but i know you win a war or ouver come a problem divided.. it causes weakness we do not need to be weak right now or as a country we are in deep trouble.
I'm confused, what exactly does an "unpaid Liaision" do and why do we need them? That seems like a security problem right there, who is this Kelly person besides a 'Florida socialite"? not good.
More Obama cover up.. just to win the election.. just wait till it all comes out.. What scares me is what is Obama dealing with the Russians with after the election as he was caught on film saying he will have more latitude
Obama cover up?
So...... if this story comes out sooner, Mitt Romney wouldn't be a lying, moron anymore?
This was going to make Mexicans like Republicans? This was going to make auto workers in Ohio vote for Mitt?
Go back to sleep.
At least Obama knows that Russia is not our #1 enemy. It's ok that Obama dealing with the Russians scares you. We know you people live in fear. Afraid of everything you don't understand. Which is pretty much everything.
Yeah, more Obama cover-ups...because he is now also responsible for the behavior of Republicans, including Cantor. You guys are a hoot.
There's nothing for Obama to cover up.
All of this connivery involves Republicans.
What a comedy show.