Zeenews Bureau
Washington: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents had reportedly uncovered the extramarital affair between former CIA director David H Petraeus and Army reserve offer and biographer Paula Broadwell in the summer. The FBI agents had allegedly informed their higher officials and the Justice Department, US officials said.
However, no one apart from the FBI and Justice Department were informed about the affair as the investigation was incomplete at that time, NYT reported. After the extramarital affair came to light, the politicians have allegedly raised a question as to why they were not told about it earlier.
The love between Petraeus and Broadwell reportedly came to light after the latter sent harassing e-mails to a woman identified as Jill Kelley who lives in Florida, as per a BBC report. The 37 year old is a family friend of the former CIA chief, the report said.
A complaint against Broadwell was registered months ago after she sent harassing emails to another woman. While the name former CIA chief did not figure until then, the FBI probe into Broadwell’s email account revealed her love affair with Petraeus, as per a news agency.
Petraeus quit Friday after acknowledging an extramarital relationship. The identity of the other woman and her connection with Broadwell were not immediately known.
The official said the FBI investigation began several months ago with a complaint against Broadwell, a 40-year-old graduate of the US Military Academy and an Army Reserve officer. That probe led agents to her email account, which uncovered the relationship with the 60-year-old retired four-star general, who earned acclaim for his leadership of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Concerned that the emails he exchanged with Broadwell raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Petraeus directly, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation. The FBI approached the CIA director because his emails in the matter were in most instances sent from a personal account, not his CIA one.
Petraeus decided to quit, abruptly ending a high-profile career that might have culminated with a run for the presidency, a notion he was believed to be considering.
Petraeus handed his resignation letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday, stunning many in the White House, the CIA and Congress. The news broke in the media before the House and Senate intelligence committees were briefed, officials say.
(With Agency Inputs)
