FBI and Justice Department prosecutors are recommending felony charges against retired Gen. David Petraeus, leaving Attorney General Eric Holder to decide whether to proceed with an indictment.
Petraeus was under investigation for allegedly providing Paula Broadwell, his former mistress, access to classified documents while he served as CIA director, the New York Times reported Friday. Petraeus, who resigned when the affair was made public, denies that he ever gave Broadwell classified information, and his lawyer declined to offer a comment to the Times.
The administration was under pressure to bring the probe to a close after it had dragged on for two years. Last month, Sen. John McCain wrote Holder to express his concerns.
“Without commenting on the underlying merits or anticipating the outcome of the investigation, I can conclude this is a circumstance in which the principle of ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ is certainly at play,” the Arizona Republican wrote. “This matter needs to be brought to resolution.”
McCain also told Holder that since “you and others within your department have weighed-in publicly on the case raises questions about whether this investigation is being handled in a fundamentally fair and appropriate manner.”
Petraeus is one of the best-known military leaders of the post-9/11 era, having served as commander of U.S. forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He also was chief of U.S. Central Command, which oversees all U.S. forces in the Middle East and south Asia.
