David Petraeus has suffered enough and should not face felony charges even if he leaked classified information to his mistress, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday.
The California Democrat and vice chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said the federal government simply should leave well enough alone and be satisfied with the fact that former Gen. Petraeus lost his job as CIA director as a result of the scandal. The Justice Department reportedly is weighing whether to charge Mr. Petraeus for allegedly leaking classified information to his biographer, Paula Broadwell, with whom he admittedly had an affair.
“This man has suffered enough,” Ms. Feinstein said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “People aren’t perfect. He made a mistake. He lost his job as CIA director because of it. I mean, how much do you want to punish somebody? It’s done. It’s over. He’s retired. He’s lost his job. How much does government want?”
The New York Times reported last week that Justice Department prosecutors have recommended to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. that charges be brought against Mr. Petraeus.
Mr. Holder would not confirm that report.
“I don’t want to comment on what is an ongoing matter. I will say frequently those things that are leaked to the media are done so by people who are not in a position to know and are frequently inaccurate. Let me leave it at that,” he told CNN.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.