David Petraeus, felony criminal charges, US prosecutors

US prosecutors have recommended that felony criminal charges are filed against David Petraeus, the former chief of the CIA, for disclosing confidential military information to his mistress. The newspaper source was anonymous, and the investigation by the Justice Department was trying to determine whether David Petraeus allowed CIA email access and other information that is highly classified to Paula Broadwell, who was his mistress at the time. According to the Times felony criminal charges have been recommended by the prosecutors in the case. These recommendations mean that it is up to US Attorney General Eric Holder to determine whether to seek an indictment against Petraeus. Until David Petraeus resigned from his CIA chief post in 2012 because his affair with Broadwell became public knowledge he was one of the most respected and honored military commanders of this generation.

David Petraeus has indicated to the US prosecutors that he will not consider a plea deal for felony criminal charges, and the former CIA chief has stated time and time again that he did nothing wrong and did not disclose confidential or sensitive information to Paula Broadwell. News of the affair strained the Petraeus marriage and caused David to resign from his post at the CIA. Senator John McCain, who represents Arizona in Congress, has expressed his support of David Petraeus and has said “I cannot ignore the broader concerns raised by the fact that this investigation apparently remains unresolved nearly two years later and that the only information that has come to light is through leaks by unnamed sources within the U.S. intelligence community with knowledge of the matter.”