Scandal Probe Ensnares Commander of U.S., NATO Troops in Afghanistan

The Washington Post ^ | Tuesday, November 13, 2012 | Craig Whitlock

[kristinn]

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT — The FBI probe into the sex scandal that led to the resignation of CIA director David Petraeus has expanded to ensnare Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced early Tuesday.

According to a senior U.S. defense official, the FBI has uncovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of “potentially inappropriate” emails between Allen and Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old Tampa woman whose close friendship with Petraeus ultimately led to his downfall. Allen, a Marine, succeeded Petraeus as the top allied commander in Afghanistan in July 2011.

The FBI first notified the Pentagon of its investigation into Allen’s communications with Kelley on Sunday evening, according to the senior defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the ongoing case.

In response, Pentagon chief Leon E. Panetta referred the investigation to the Defense Department’s Inspector General for further review, according to a statement released by Panetta early Tuesday as he was traveling to Australia.

The latest development in the unfolding scandal has shaken President Obama’s national-security staff and upended his carefully chosen plans for his military and intelligence team in his second term.

It also further calls into question the personal behavior of two of the U.S. military’s highest-ranking and most respected figures, who apparently ignored concerns about the highly sensitive nature of their jobs as they embraced personal relationships with younger women who were not their wives.

SNIP

In his statement, Panetta said Allen would remain as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan for now, “while the matter is under investigation and before the facts are determined.”

[Eric Blair 2084]

There weren’t 10,000 emails just 10-30,000 pages.

Print this entire thread and it’s probably 100 pages. Print any email chain with responses to responses on your computer.

So far this is just a bad Jerry Springer story.

[rimtop56]

I keep thinking that this is something like a coup going on in front of our eyes. Does anyone else get that impression? One of the news updates on the radio today said Allen was actually “flirtacious.” Oh, my.

[juno67]

” When Beer Leader got re-elected, and knowing the truth about Benghazi spells i-m-p-e-a-c-h-m-e-n-t for him, perhaps someone ‘recommended’ Patreaus fess up to a fake affair...or else?”

That doesn’t ring true for a couple of reasons. First, considering his personal history, General Patreaus doesn’t strike me as the kind of man to bow down to anyone for anything. Secondly, if you were trying to blackmail him into suppressing information, you wouldn’t first destroy his reputation. You would tell him, “Look, you don’t play ball with us, we’ll reveal (or create) this affair you had.” Now, having already destroyed his career and perhaps his marriage, what do you threaten him with to keep him from singing? The level of threats available to keep him quiet has diminished considerably.