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I reached out to a senior military source who has worked with Petraeus, (P4) as he's referred to within the service, and who helped provide background information for Broadwell's book. I'll call the officer "James Downing"). A transcript of our conversation follows: BI: Did anyone know about the affair before today? James: I'm not sure anyone really "knew", per se. But it's one of those things that, as soon as the announcement was made, I knew in an instant who it was. Everything made sense. Who had exclusive access to him? Who wrote the hagiography on his life? Who framed...

WASHINGTON — Paula Broadwell became a fixture around the Kabul headquarters of the American-led coalition in Afghanistan soon after Gen. David H. Petraeus assumed command in June 2010. She was seen as ambitious and as a striver who aimed to join Washington’s national security elite, and she drew resentment from officers for playing up her connection to their boss. In television interviews, Ms. Broadwell — a Petraeus biographer whose affair with him led to his resignation on Friday as director of the central intelligence — appears assertive and confident, appearing on “The Daily Show” sporting bare, toned arms that have...