Republican Leader Knew About Petraeus Affair Before Election

Takes partisan edge out of investigations

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says he was told in late October about allegations that then-CIA Director David Petraeus was having an extramarital affair, AP reports. The GOP lawmaker said his office was notified about the charges from an FBI employee.

Communications Director Rory Cooper told AP that the Virginia Republican informed the FBI's chief of staff of the conversation, but did not tell anyone else because he did not know whether the information from an unknown source was credible. Petraeus resigned last week as the nation's top spy because of the affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

The Patraeus scandal has led to conspiracy theories from conservative quarters that the former four-star general's resignation from the CIA was timed to prevent testimony about the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. But the Republican leader's knowledge of the Petraeus investigation undermines that.

Ira Kravitz, a Tokyo-based musician, tweeted: "Love how Fox News tried to portray the Petraeus situation as a conspiracy... until they found out Eric Cantor knew."

NewYorker.com Editor Nicholas Thompson put it this way: "Is it possible that the only person who behaved well in this was Eric Cantor?"

Via AP and Politix reporting.

Is speculation about a tie between the Patraeus affair and the Benghazi investigation irresponsible?

[ACTSmom]

"Is speculation about a tie between the Patraeus affair and the Benghazi investigation irresponsible?"

From the first moment I heard about the Petraeus affair, I had that same suspicion. Now he can delay testifying, if he testifies at all, and what he knows is potentially much more damaging to this administration than his stepping down because of an affair. Hillary is also delaying her testimony...just too darn busy to take care of anything like TESTIMONY. I think the connection between Benghazi and Petraeus's resignation is very significant and demands further and indepth investigation.

[bsking]

see that's just it, there is no tie between the affair and the dereliction of duty on the part of the administration in the death of our people in Libya. but the government media is going to try to make 1 so they can confuse enough sheeple into thinking the worst thing about Ben Ghazi was a general had sex with some woman. that's the government media's newest mission

[ACTSmom]

@bsking ...Oh, if you know this, I'm sure the FBI would appreciate your input since they're still investigating and it's getting deeper and deeper.

[Keyjo]

@bsking
First name "Ben," sir name "Ghazi!?"
LOL..........
You make me laugh, even when; no ESPECIALLY when, you're trying to be serious!
LOL..........

[Mercury34]

The idea of a tie between the Petraeus Affair and Benghazi is all speculation. No solid proof, just flimsy,circumstantial,evidence .

[ctc]

What did Eric Cantor know, when did he know it, and who else did he discuss it with??

[Sonny]

I think Eric Cantor should be investigated!

[DARSB]

So far there's no evidence of a Benghazi link to the resignation. But with this morning's news about the FBI agent who started all this now himself under investigation is making everything much murkier instead of the reverse.

[dances-weebles]

so what? the guy had sex...

[martydotcom]

Well isn't that just real special Eric..Care to share with Peter King and the rest of the Foxies why you thought it best not to tell?

[bsking]

no it's not irresponsible, irresponsible is how the government media is handling the story.
as far as we know this affair happen while the general was still a general.
if that's true then everyone including Obama knew about this affair before he was appointed to CIA job.
and if that's true, then the likelihood of him leaving his post because of this affair tends to point more at a preemptive strike by the administration to get him out of the way before any testimony.
now some second fiddle will testify in his stead. and now the media has turned Ben Ghazi In to a Republican sex scandal and are airing it 24/7. and that goal is to convince the stupid people in this country who still watch the government media that Ben Ghazi was always only about sex.

[AceLuby]

Why would his resignation prevent him from testifying? It doesn't even make sense, yet the Fox brigade can't do enough to try and push it as a legitimate theory.

[jessejaymes]

As long as he's a citizen of the USA he is obligated to testify if called before congress. He may take the 5th but that would damn him and I don't think he will. What I do wonder is when both sides of the aisle are going to stop making a conspiracy theory out of every sex scandal in history? People cheat. Always have, always will.

[martydotcom]

Congress can subpeona anyone any time. In order to take the fifth he would have to have done something to incriminate himself. Poor decision making or an error is not a crime no fifth. I'm still trying to figure out why Fox continues to have Ben Ghazisms over the story... No one has committed a crime

[ACTSmom]

@martydotcom ...Maybe no crime, at least it's not known yet. But it would certainly make one wonder why, during an investigation of the CIA chief, he is sent to Benghazi the end of October to do his own "investigation" and come up with the answer that it was all because of a flash mob over a stupid film. And Holder knew about the FBI investigation into Petraeus. And, please, don't be so naive as to think this is all about an affair that reportedly was known to troops in Afghanistan. That, sir, was before his appointment as CIA chief.

[martydotcom]

@ACTSmom why did the Eric Canton sit on it. what do you think went on in Oct? what is so critical as to mob or planned. We have limited embassy security funding ( GOP cut). Do you think how presented may have been a function of providing " cover" for a friendly frail emerging gov. trying to assume control of a tribal nation. What please tell me is the crime of Ben Ghazi that has Fox's bowels in an uproar

[jessejaymes]

@ACTSmom what are you claiming? he purposely got Benghazi wrong because he was having an affair?

[ACTSmom]

@jessejaymes ..I'm not claiming anything. Just want to see what all comes out of this because I don't believe an affair alone would be so huge. How could he have made such a determination that was so quickly unraveled? The man is too smart for that kind of an assinine assessment.

[WMCOL]

Cantor couldn't say anything because I'm sure he was told the release date was to be several days before November election. If he had disclosed against wishes of planners of plot he knew his career would be over.

[Clbraz78]

Who the hell cares who knew about the affair! WE WANT TO KNOW WHO KNEW ABOUT BENGHAZI !! Stop treating us like we are stupid! What does the affair have to do with the election??? DON'T BUY IT!

[USCITIZEN]

Just another tactic to take the attention off the Benghasi case??

[DARSB]

This just in...BREAKING: FBI investigating "suggestive" letter to an important air commander entitled "Santa, Baby."

[tomincali]

wonder how long he will last.

[Buggsy888]

Will the media ever stop being dishonest editorialists. Try just journalism. Anyway, Cantor is not the president. He does not have access to the detailed information, or the ability to access, head an investigation and ect. This is another typical hit piece aimed at the right. Cantor is not the president. And had he gone off half cocked,,,we all know what would have happened them.

[Zoe2012]

Not hardly! Typical Obama move!

[ir0nw0lfe]

Dont worry. All question will answered in a MSM movie of the week starring second rate actors and plugged as having been scripted with leaked White House classified info. Welcome to the Brave New World. Distract, Divide, and Conquer.

[Jasonopolis]

There is so much ignorance concerning the management of the affairs of our country. I see several posts where people are raking Petraeus over the coals for what happened in Bengazi, but the CIA is not the managing agency of our embassies - the State Department is.
Hillary Clinton is, " responsible for developing and implementing security policies and programs that provide for the protection of all U.S. Government personnel (including accompanying dependents) on official duty abroad."
This is straight from the State Department website. Look it up.
http://www.state.gov/m/ds/about/overview/c900...

[Jasonopolis]

The whole premise of the story is a leftist slight of hands. The question raised here by the Politix commentator is insane!
This is Hilary Clinton's State Department. Where is the post, and the question about why it was more important for her to attend a "wine tasting" than these hearings????

[InjusticeSucks]

And the Conspiracy Fruit Loop's just keep on bobbling their heads.Funny that the GOP had word of Petraeus scandal before anyone else but sat on it in hope's of Sweeping it under the table!