Probe into computer used by Broadwell
Source: Agencies |
November 16, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A COMPUTER used by Paula Broadwell, the woman whose affair with David Petraeus led to his resignation as CIA director, contained substantial classified information that should have been stored under more secure conditions, according to law enforcement and national security officials.
The contents and amount of the classified material - and questions about how Broadwell got it - are significant enough to warrant a continuing investigation, the officials said.
The details about material held by Broadwell, a reserve officer in military intelligence, emerged on Wednesday as the Pentagon suspended her security clearance.
There are growing concerns among military and law enforcement officials about the potential fallout from the affair between Petraeus and Broadwell, who co-authored a biography of the retired general.
During a news conference at the White House, President Barack Obama said there was no indication so far that any classified information had been disclosed as a result of the affair.
Obama also said that for now, he would refrain from judging whether he should have been told earlier than last Wednesday about the probe involving his CIA chief.
"I am withholding judgment with respect to how the entire process surrounding General Petraeus came up. We don't have all the information yet," Obama told reporters.
Obama noted that had he known earlier, he might have been open to accusations of interference in a politically sensitive law enforcement matter.
Broadwell's security clearances gave her access to certain classified material, several officials said. Government rules require such material to be stored in secure locations or computers.
The latest developments could quash hopes among some at the Justice Department and in Congress for a quick end to a scandal that this week also ensnared the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Marine General John Allen.
In a statement issued by the Marine Corps' chief defense counsel, Allen has pledged to resolve questions surrounding his e-mail communications with Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, who is also at the center of the Petraeus case.
Allen remains in his post as commander in Afghanistan.
The contents and amount of the classified material - and questions about how Broadwell got it - are significant enough to warrant a continuing investigation, the officials said.
The details about material held by Broadwell, a reserve officer in military intelligence, emerged on Wednesday as the Pentagon suspended her security clearance.
There are growing concerns among military and law enforcement officials about the potential fallout from the affair between Petraeus and Broadwell, who co-authored a biography of the retired general.
During a news conference at the White House, President Barack Obama said there was no indication so far that any classified information had been disclosed as a result of the affair.
Obama also said that for now, he would refrain from judging whether he should have been told earlier than last Wednesday about the probe involving his CIA chief.
"I am withholding judgment with respect to how the entire process surrounding General Petraeus came up. We don't have all the information yet," Obama told reporters.
Obama noted that had he known earlier, he might have been open to accusations of interference in a politically sensitive law enforcement matter.
Broadwell's security clearances gave her access to certain classified material, several officials said. Government rules require such material to be stored in secure locations or computers.
The latest developments could quash hopes among some at the Justice Department and in Congress for a quick end to a scandal that this week also ensnared the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Marine General John Allen.
In a statement issued by the Marine Corps' chief defense counsel, Allen has pledged to resolve questions surrounding his e-mail communications with Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, who is also at the center of the Petraeus case.
Allen remains in his post as commander in Afghanistan.
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