David Petraeus’ former mistress says its time to “move forward” from the extramarital and official secrets scandal that led to him step down as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. She suggested it should not disqualify the retired general from being considered to take the place of Mike Flynn as President Trump’s national security adviser.
“I say it’s been five years, and everyone involved in this situation has taken responsibility for their actions and suffered the consequences and has tried to move forward,” Paula Broadwell told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. “So I think, in relation to me that he should be able to move forward.”
Petraeus pleaded guilty in 2015 for sharing classified information with Broadwell, his biographer. A federal judge gave Petraeus two years probation and a fine of $100,000. His probation ends in April.
A report surfarced Monday that top Trump advisers had scheduled a meeting with Petraeus to replace Flynn as national security adviser after he became embroiled in controversy regarding misleading the Trump administration about his communications with a Russian envoy about sanctions before the inauguration. Flynn resigned late Monday evening.
Paula Broadwell speaks out about a double standard for her and David Petraeus: "It's been a very difficult process" https://t.co/rNXFtiifwa— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) February 15, 2017
Though Broadwell said she wasn’t trying to “defend” or “promote” him, Broadwell repeatedly defended and promoted Petraeus on Tuesday, saying he’s “terrific” and “very qualified.”
“A lot of what happened to him has been taken out of context. There was no ill intent … and no national security was jeopardized in any way,” Broadwell explained.
Though Broadwell expressed frustration with the Army keeping her in “limbo” in her own legal case, creating a situation that makes it difficult for her to secure new job opportunities, she said Petraeus has already “paid a price” for his mistakes.
Broadwell had also endorsed Petraeus for Trump’s secretary of state back in December before Trump settled on Rex Tillerson.
