The woman whose adultery with CIA Director David H. Petraeus forced his resignation will not face any charges in the cyberstalking case that led to the disclosure of the affair, federal authorities said Tuesday.
“After applying relevant case law to the particular facts of this case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has decided not to pursue a federal case regarding the alleged acts of ’cyber-stalking’ involving Paula Broadwell,” William Daniels, spokesman for the Tampa-based U.S. attorney’s office, said in a written statement.
Mr. Petraeus, 60, a retired four-star Army general, resigned his CIA post Nov. 9 after acknowledging an extramarital affair with his biographer, Mrs. Broadwell.
The affair came to the attention of FBI investigators over the summer after Mrs. Broadwell, 40, had sent harassing emails to Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, warning her to stay away from Mr. Petraeus.
Because the emails showed advance knowledge of the CIA director’s schedule, the FBI opened a preliminary inquiry.
The inquiry eventually led to the exposure of not just Mrs. Broadwell and Mr. Petraeus’ affair but also a potentially inappropriate relationship between Marine Gen. John Allen, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and Mrs. Kelley, 37.
Mrs. Kelley had become friendly with Gen. Allen and then-Gen. Petraeus while each of them was stationed at U.S. Central Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, just outside of Tampa.
The Pentagon inspector general is reviewing email communications between Gen. Allen and Mrs. Kelley to determine if there was indeed any inappropriate elements in their relationship.
The two have denied having an affair, and one senior defense official who has seen some of the email messages described them as “mildly flirtatious.”
Defenders of Mr. Petraeus have said that his affair with Mrs. Broadwell, who wrote an admiring biography of his time as commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, began after he had left the military and been confirmed for the CIA post.
Adultery is a crime for military personnel. Mrs. Broadwell, who is a reserve Army officer, could face prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
After FBI agents last month searched Mrs. Broadwell’s home in Charlotte, N.C., law enforcement officials told The Washington Times that investigators were going through a substantial amount of classified material that appeared to have been at the least improperly stored.
There was no news Tuesday about any outcome from that investigation.
Also mum was the CIA, where an internal review is examining whether Mr. Petraeus might have used any CIA perks to facilitate his affair.
Mr. Petraeus has denied that he passed any classified documents or information to Mrs. Broadwell.
• Shaun Waterman can be reached at swaterman@washingtontimes.com.
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