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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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Leave a Comment:
i honestly don't get it. i can't figure out who was sleepin with who.....
'groupsexgate'
'swingergate'
someone mentioned this being produced as a prono... i've got a working title... feel free to improve
'General Pounding'
We look like fools.
Look aint the right word, substitute we are fools
Good grief, is everybody sleeping with everybody? This seems apt:
"It's a very complicated situation, cousin Sonja. I'm in love with Alexei. He loves Alicia. Alicia's having an affair with Lev. Lev loves Tatiana. Tatiana loves Simkin. Simkin loves me. I love Simkin, but in a different way than Alexei. Alexei loves Tatiana like a sister. Tatiana's sister loves Trigorian like a brother. Trigorian's brother is having an affair with my sister, who he likes physically, but not spiritually...."
from Woody Allen's "Love and Death"
Unless the FBI agent has a six pack Coors Light would envy, I don't understand why sending shirtless photos by email or text message has become so popular with these guys. If Anthony Weiner's photos were an example, he didn't even come close to Near Beer in that regard.
The right-winger was eager to give the shirt off his back. Wow.
I'm waiting for FBI agents in photo of gang bang with secret service agents.
Chuck you forgot the Generals! This is hilarious and you folks are reminding me of events I forgot about
Ever see Whistleblower? A female police officer is sent as as a UN peacekeeper to Bosnia and discovers horrendous sex-trafficing racket with Military/CIA backing and funding. Yep, women in chains to ease their tensions in war. Good movie but hard to watch and hard to face the implications. Military/CIA deep in sex & violence.
The Generals obviously need protection from the civilians.
Jill Kelly is a whore slut.
Hey ed - if you are going to say mean things about Jill, you should learn to spell her name.
Ed,,, how would you know this? Moron.
Women. You could rule the world if you understood and used the power you have over us.
Men. You could actually do a better job at ruling the world if you let the brain inside the head at the base of your neck do the thinking instead of the little guy due south thereof.
Wow. And these people are in charge of our national security.... holy moley.
Well, just look at who is running the show. What else can you expect?
Surprise - they really are.
We entrust our nation to people and ask very few questions about them. Its our country and we need be be better stewards/ Citizens,
Bo Setser; we'll have to have a serious culture/value change first, those individuals came from "our" stewards/citizens. Don't hold your breath, it going to be awhile.
memo to everyone...there is a new thing out called the internet...anything you post will be viewed FOREVVVEEEERRRRRR...
Yeah....and somebody should have told our nations TOP spy that.....
Has anyone else ever been labeled a "friend of the military"? I have never heard that phrase before...I love our military...in a different way than these women do.....
Are we sure the shirtless guy wasn't Putin, he likes to show his abs.
More people want to see a picture of a disgraced General than they do of a shirtless FBI agent.
Your typical "White male, perverted Catholic"...
So these silly women have managed to out each others extra marital affairs. Like this doesn't happen all the time in these higher level circles, just as in our mundane lower level lives. So far no classified information has been bandied about improperly, and no real crimes have been committed. Unless the invasion of privacy by news media is a crime. Which when it disables some of our national security functions it should be.
I used to work in the national security business. The news media were often a big help, but leaking secrets indiscriminately was their business.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. And why? Because they were thinking with their little head.
can't we just get back to some good ole' Todd Akin or Murdoch talk? Those guys were great....cam we have another election cycle, like right away? I miss the right wing nut job talk...
If Petaeus was unhappy in his marrage he should have gotten a divorce. He strayed for a reason and that is his business and aside from his wife that is all it concerns.
If you are interested in details then wait for the movie to come out on the Big Screen.
Just because you want to park your car in somebody else's garage for a while, it doesn't mean you should get rid of your own garage.
A couple of things. First of all, divorce is expensive and messy. Unless you want to marry your side action as Newt Gingrich did a couple of times, no reason to get a divorce. Just make sure that Holly has a nice vibrator.
2nd - when the romance area of a man's brain becomes active, the logic, reason and good judgment area goes stone cold dead.
My personal opinion is that the General fell in love with his own Biography, not necessarily the biographer. Both are just ladder climbers. This lady Macbeth, kelley, just wanted to dirty up the picture but got "help" with too many strings attached from some FBI woman-bully and she had to run to Cantor...save me! Most likely Paula wrote her some e-mail saying "drop this or you'll be sorry" so....
I wish someone would use this opportunity to show what the Military/CIA does with sex-trafficing overseas and South America.
I agree with Julea. She was stroking his...ego.( there's also a four letter word for it that is a psuedonym for male chicken). He was just pathetic enough to let it turn his head.
What is eough ?
TAK DA fbi jerk out an shoott hit butt, den reinstate aLLS DA GENERALS. LEAVING OUT BROADBUTT, AND DA SILLIE KELLIE BIMBO. SHE STUPIT 2?! i lok at michel obimbo alls da times and i dun kall da fbi 4 indecent porno?!its hard enuff gitin da fbi to lok into identity theaft now it is der job to do it!! it does not fal to da secret srvce!
You sound and spell like a Liberal that was educated in a Public school
My guess is he's a conservative from the southern United States. But for what it's worth, neither liberal nor public are capitalized as you have used them.
Liberal is only capitalized when used at the beginning of a sentence, or when referring to an actual party, as in the Liberal Party of Canada.
Also, you may want to end your sentence with a period. Particularly when criticizing another person's education.
This lesson brought to you from a liberal that attended a public school.
I too am a liberal who attended public school until my last 2 years of college. And I would like to point out the the top 10 states in education all went for Obama by a wide margin. 9 of the bottom 10 states in education went for Romney by a wide margin.
We have had enough- please shut it. Lots of people attended public school. It does not make them less than you. You sound like the reason the republicans lost so horribly this election.
Your name next to your avatar says,,, we have had eough. What is "eough"?
My only hope is that no Brett Favre style cock pictures come out of this. The last thing the world needs to see is another old white man's little shriveled up penis.
I think that shirtless photos work better when sent by a female. I have no idea why a man would send one.
I'd agree, I think, but why don't a bunch of really buff guys send me pics of their chests so I can know for sure.
Complete NON-STORY. It's an affair. Nothing more.
I'll bet Peter King is "outraged" the FBI didn't tell the President until he can fool some FBI sucker into saying they told the President. Then he'll be "outraged" the President didn't tell the American people... Sounds EXACTLY like the Libya BS.
Morons are already calling this a cover up and calling for the impeachment of the President while cheerleading any bad news they can find.
It's all part of obuma's plan.
This is gonna make one hell of a Lifetime movie.....not that I watch that channel....in fact, I never heard of it before....how did it get in my comment? It's a conspiracy I tells ya!