FBI Knew About Petraeus Affair For Months

Agents didn't identify security breaches

FBI and Justice Department officials were on to CIA Director David Petraeus's extramarital affair by summer but sat on the information, The New York Times reports.

The federal officials didn't notify anybody outside those agencies "until last week because the investigation was incomplete and initial concerns about possible security breaches, which would demand more immediate action, did not appear to be justified," according to Times officials quoted anonymously.

A close friend of the Petraeus family tells The Times that the intimate relationship between Mr. Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell, began after he retired from the military last year and about two months after he started as CIA director. And for the first time Sunday, the woman whose report of harassing e-mails led to the exposure of the affair was identified as Jill Kelley, 37, of Tampa, Fla.

Reporting on affairs is a sensitive issue for the FBI. "In his decades-long reign as the FBI's first director, J. Edgar Hoover sometimes directed agents to spy improperly on the sex lives of public figures and then used the resulting information to pressure or blackmail them."

Via The New York Times.

Do you buy the FBI's claim that they sat on the story out of caution, or is there more to this than meets the eye?

[mimi57]

General Petraeus resigned because he doesn't want to testify in court, he wanted a way out of working under this administration...can't say I blame him. The "affair" is an excuse, I wish him well!

[kirbstomp1]

You are so partisan it's laughable and disgusting at the same time. He doesn't want to testify BC that will give away information to the public about the CIA's affairs in the middle east and northern Africa. It has nothing to do at all with an affair with this women or Obama, it's for keeping secrecy in the most corrupt intelligence agency to ever be created.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

You know, my wife said the same thing when she found out the news. Obviously he was going to expose obama's mishandling of the Benghazi incident. This whole affair was swept under the rug until after the election. Boy, if the American people only knew who they were voting for.

[PNWest]

And exactly how do you think that would prevent him from having to testify in court?

[martydotcom]

errors:
testifying as a citizen former director or as diector not an option the senate & house have subpoena power. Sorry no talkingpointgasam
He serves at the pleasure of the president, resignation releases him from working for admin but he cannot and has sais he will not fight a subpoena calling for his testimony.
As for the affair being an excuse. Please explain excuse for what?? Looking at her I don't blaim him either lol

[martydotcom]

@PNWest Don't try to confuse Mimi with the facts. Petraeus is providing all the talking heads with talkingpointGasms
I'm still trying to figure what's the crime they want to affix to Obama

[Thunderchicken]

Just as with Benghazi, there's something hinkey here. I wouldn't be surprised if they're connected.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

They are connected, you can believe that. I trust nothing out of this crooked administration.

[kirbstomp1]

@Neo_NtheMatrix - yup they are connected, the consulate was a CIA base with 75% CIA agents and only 25% diplomats. Petraeus was the head of the CIA and if he actually confessed in court it would blow the top off of all the CIA's work in the middle east. It would also Piss alot of countries off having an American Intel agency freely operate in their countries without permission. the reason the Obama admin has been so quiet is BC this is CIA business. And no one, I mean no one messes with the CIA, not even the pres. So don't blame this on the admin even though I don't agree with the way they are handling it, blame the corrupted CIA.

[MRMacrum]

I am taking a wait and see attitude on this one. The story is evolving very slowly. As to whether the good general is trying to get out of testifying, I can't buy that notion. If Congress wants you to testify, you testify.

[mimi57]

As a civilian he can plead the 5th, as a General he couldn't do that...

[DARSB]

@mimi57 So you think he might need to invoke his right to avoid self-incrimination?

[MRMacrum]

@mimi57 - He was not a general when he was in charge of the CIA. He had to retire to take that post. And yeah, he could take the 5th. Something tells me he would not.

[fact-check]

@mimi57: Once again you have not checked your facts, and you are incorrect. General "Peaches" Petraeus resigned from active duty service in the U.S. Army on August 31, 2011.

[mimi57]

@DARSB I think he wants out from under this admin. and this is a good excuse to do it, and he
can plead the 5th regarding what happened in Benghazi...

[bsking]

yeah seems like everybody from our government to our government run media sits on stories these days. I suppose they know what's best for us

[DARSB]

I'm interested in reports from the weekend that Rep Dave Reichert and Rep Eric Cantor both knew about the affair before the White House did.

[MRMacrum]

I hadn't heard that. If true, I would definitely be interested.

[DARSB]

@MRMacrum Reported by Christina Bellantoni on PBS - I'm behind a company firewall and can't get you the link.

[MRMacrum]

@DARSB Different source ----- http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/david-p... .......... This does not shed any more light on the subject. It does add more mystery though. What a frickin mess.

[WMCOL]

Forget about it. This is just what Republicans do. It's part of their "moral party" and "family values" philosophy. Then when it happens the cons say, well, it was not a REAL Republican.

Petraeus could have to testify whether he is in or out of military, but now he has less credibility.

[fact-check]

Could a REAL Republican have any less credibility?

[fact-check]

The FBI is corrupt as Petraeus, because they were aware that adultery is a crime under statutory law in the State of Virginia. Therefore, this delay was actually politically motivated obstruction of justice. Correct protocol would have been to turn the investigation of this fourth class misdemeanor over to local authorities immediately.

[artjeb]

There is more than what meets the eye.
COVER UP

[DARSB]

Oh, my. In a completely un-ironic moment, Callista Gingrich weighs in on affairs. http://goo.gl/EeWjc

[GetAwake]

"HOLD ON...I declare this investigation 'ongoing' until we see if the general can get both of those foxes in bed at the same time...and capture it on video, of course. Until we have that kind of proof,'mum' is the word..."

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[Bobolinsky]

All of my deals are as genuine as the "Muhammed Video" excuse for Benghazi and the Petraeus Affair.

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[Angela]

There maybe more here than meets the eye although they were slammed hard with their in whore festivities, so it's like the" pot calling the kettle black" #firedestroys🔥

[RobertJHarsh]

If the FBI was sitting on anything, then they were blackmailing Petraeus. I also read a few stories over the weekend that the Israeli set up Petraeus as a "honey pot" trap, something they have been known to do from time to time. Basically get the target to have a sexual affair with an Israeli agent. But a question that keep bugging me is WHY would the FBI be investigating the CIA director? The FBI barely qualifies as an inept goon squad, let alone a intelligence gather unit. We are talking about the same crew of idiots that go into data centers and pull out an entire rack of gear for one server with an illegal Lady Gaga mp3 on it and "they" knew of an affair? Who cares?

[PSinTX]

If course there's more to the story. Just another cover-up by the Obama administration.