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Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images
A June 23, 2011, file photo shows Paula Broadwell, second from left, watching as Gen. David Petraeus and his wife, Holly Petraeus arrive for a Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing on Petraeus' nomination to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
What began with David Petraeus’ surprise resignation as CIA director on Friday resulting from an extramarital affair has now spiraled into a complicated story of infidelity, intrigue and politics.
Petraeus’ admission of an extramarital affair quickly led to his biographer, Paula Broadwell, and an examination of her relationship with the decorated war hero. The length of the FBI’s investigation of “menacing” emails sent to Petraeus’ family friend Jill Kelley, and the timing of the announcement of his departure from the Obama administration fueled conspiracy theories. Then Gen. John Allen, Petraeus’ successor as military commander in Afghanistan, was embroiled in the scandal, accused by U.S. officials of sending “inappropriate” emails to Kelley.
To help you keep the facts straight, NBC News has compiled this timeline, based on reporting by NBC News and other published accounts:
Spring 2006 -- Paula Broadwell meets Gen. David Petraeus, when she introduces herself after he gave a speech at Harvard's Kennedy School, where Broadwell was working on a master's degree, the Wall Street Journal reported.
October 2008 -- Petraeus takes over as head of U.S. Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base. While serving there, he reportedly meets Jill Kelley and her husband, Dr. Scott Kelley. She is described in various accounts as a volunteer “social liaison” between the community and the base.
2008 -- Broadwell begins her doctoral dissertation, "a case study of General Petraeus’ leadership," according to Rolling Stone magazine.
June 2009 -- Broadwell and her husband, Scott, purchase a home in Charlotte, N.C., the Charlotte Observer reports.
June 2010 -- Petraeus is named as replacement for Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top commander in Afghanistan after the latter makes impolitic remarks to a Rolling Stone reporter. Broadwell decides to turn her dissertation into a book.
July 2010-July 2011 – According to an online biography of Broadwell that was taken down after Petraeus’ resignation, she made multiple trips to Afghanistan during this period, where she “embedded with the general, his headquarters staff and his soldiers on the front lines of fighting across Afghanistan to chronicle the experiences of this American general as they are brought to bear in the terrible crucible of war.”
Aug. 31, 2011 -- Petraeus retires from the U.S. Army, departs Afghanistan.
Sept. 6, 2011 -- Petraeus takes over as director of the CIA.
Steven Boylan, a former spokesman for Gen. David Petraeus, discusses how the affair with biographer Paula Broadwell started, saying the general is "embarrassed and keenly aware of the hurt and pain he's caused."
Early November 2011 – According to former Petraeus spokesman Steve Boylan, who had spoken to his former boss after his resignation, Petraeus' affair with Broadwell began around this time, approximately two months after he took the CIA job.
January 2012 – “All In, The Education of General David Petraeus,” by Paula Broadwell with Vernon Loeb is published by Penguin Press.
May 2012 – “Menacing” emails – five to 10 of them, according to the Wall Street Journal -- began arriving in Jill Kelley's inbox, NBC’s Michael Isikoff and Pete Williams report.
Emails on 'comings and goings' of Petraeus, other military officials escalated FBI concerns
June 2012 – The FBI investigation begins. A source close to Kelley tells Isikoff that she took the emails, which she viewed as harassing or menacing, to the FBI. The source said the anonymous emails didn’t mention Petraeus by name, but subsequent emails – sent from multiple alias accounts -- contained references to the "comings and goings" of high-level military officials -- including events that were not on any public schedule. This raised the question as to whether somebody had access to sensitive -- and classified -- information about the CIA director.
T.Ortega Gaines / Charlotte Observer via Reuters
Paula Broadwell is pictured before embarking on a national book tour to promote "All In," her biography of Gen. David Petraeus.
July 2012 – Approximate end of the affair between Broadwell and Petraeus, according to former Petraeus spokesman Steve Boylan, who tells NBC’s Kristen Welker in early November that it ended “about four months ago.”
Late summer -- Attorney General Eric Holder is told that agents have discovered an email link between Petraeus and Broadwell, which included exchange of “explicit details of a sexual nature,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
September – FBI agents interview Paula Broadwell for first time, NBC’s Pete Williams reports.
Oct. 27 -- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor speaks to an FBI agent who had worked on the Petraeus investigation, according to Cantor spokesman Doug Heye. The agent-- who had originally contacted Rep. Dave Reichert, a Republican from Washington -- raised concerns that "sensitive information" relating to Petraeus may have been "compromised," Heye said. The timing of the tip to Reichert is not clear.
Week of Oct. 29 – FBI agents interview Petraeus and Broadwell (for a second time), according to NBC’s Michael Isikoff.
Approximately Oct. 30-31 – Somewhere around this time frame, Petraeus traveled to Tripoli to conduct his own personal inquiry into Benghazi, according to author Bob Woodward, appearing on "Meet the Press" on Nov. 11. NBC’s Andrea Mitchell confirmed that Petraeus had recently traveled to Libya.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell and the Washington Post's Bob Woodward visit Meet the Press to examine the fallout from CIA chief David Petraeus' extramarital affair.
Oct. 31 – After conferring with his chief of staff, Steve Stombres, and Richard Cullen, a former attorney general of Virginia, Cantor had Stombres call the FBI chief of staff to relay the information he had received from the FBI agent, NBC News has reported.
Nov. 1 -- Cantor aide Steve Stombres is told by the FBI that it cannot confirm or deny an investigation, but the bureau official assured the leader's office it was acting to protect national security.
Nov. 2 – The FBI concludes its investigation, according to NBC News’ Michael Isikoff, citing senior U.S. law enforcement official; the last FBI interviews with both Broadwell and Petraeus also took place this day, NBC’s Pete Williams reports, citing federal officials.
Nov. 6 – Justice Department informs Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
Nov. 7 – Clapper informs the White House.
Nov. 8 – Petraeus calls White House Deputy Chief of Staff Thomas Donilon and asks to see the president, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports. The White House tells Obama of the FBI investigation of Petraeus and his admission of an extramarital affair.
Nov. 9 – Obama accepts Petraeus’ resignation; Senate and House leaders first learn of it from media calls. They then speak to Petraeus, but don’t hear directly from the president, Mitchell reported.
Nov. 11 – Jill Kelley and her husband, Scott, issue statement: "We and our family have been friends with Gen. Petraeus and his family for over five years. We respect his and his family's privacy and want the same for us and our three children."
Afghanistan military commander Gen. John Allen investigated for 'inappropriate' emails
Chuck Burton / AP
FBI agents carry boxes and a computer from the home of Paula Broadwell in Charlotte, N.C.
Nov. 12 – In a surprise statement during a trip to Australia, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announces that U.S. General John Allen, who succeeded Petraeus as military commander in Afghanistan, is under investigation over allegations he exchanged “inappropriate” emails with Kelley, the woman who triggered the investigation of Petraeus. Meanwhile, FBI agents carry out a four-hour “consensual search” of Broadwell’s home in Charlotte, N.C., leaving with eight to 10 cardboard boxes.
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OMG! It's all been said before: Young thing comes along, bats her eyelashes, tells him what he wants to hear, he falls for it, climbs in the sack and 30 or 40 years of marriage go down the drain. What a shame! Doesn't make any difference if the wife keeps her looks up or not. Some men just can't resist having their EGOs stroked and there are plenty of BIMBOs out there to do it. Now, about Benghazi! Let it go! Jesus! Don't we have more urgent things to worry about than old news and blaming PRESIDENT OBAMA for everything that happens in our lives? Look at history. We always have to have a scape goat. Grow up!
This is no surprise. There is that term again to label anyone who wants to expose corruption, conspiracy theory. Listen folks, face it, there is MORE than enough evidence, even of deep suspicion to show there is conspiracy, corruption, deceit, perversion, and occult agendas in and around ALL governments in the world, even our own. This is why many states, 20 and possibly more, want to recede from the United States. I do not blame them. The U.S. was sold out long ago. Since JFK and Martin Luther King was assassinated, this even shows evil and corruption. It is not hard to see, and is even in the military complex and educational system. I can name many, but they are all connected to a new world order that wishes to enslave all people. This is what is commonly known also as Big Brother and Big Sister as well, and was foretold for thousands of years and has been progressing ever since. I do not care what people think about me, but they BETTER CARE ABOUT THE TRUTH OF WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON. That is my concern.
You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!
I'm confused so if somebody can give me a LOGICAL explanation, please do so. No politics, no conspiracy theories, no comments about "one standard for them, a different standard for us".
The General is being forced to step aside because he did not tell anybody about the affair. It appears that once confronted, he told the truth (more or less). The arguments for his termination seem to generally be of the "you can't have somebody with top secret security clearance not publicly announcing their affair" (again, I don't think he denied it when confronted).
Okay, if that is the case, when Clinton denied his affair then lied about it in legal proceedings (which caused him to be disbarred and loose his law license) he was not forced to resign. As commander in chief I assume he also has top security clearance and, simply put, since he plays a more significant role in government than the General, shouldn't he have been forced out if you apply the same rational? I'm sure I am not the only one who has noticed this inconsistency. Is there actually some law out there that requires some officials but not others to step down over simply having an affair? Or is this just politics as usual.
First of all, the general engaged in behavior that put national securityat risk. Yes, we're being told that there was no compromise, but when you're the head of the CIA, have access to secret information, you're bound by a set of rules to insure that you don't put those secrets at risk.
Secondly, when the FBI confronted him, he realized that this was all going to come out into the open so he resigned. Note, he was not "terminated" - he voluntarily offered his resignation.
Ms. Broadwell on her book tour did seem to state info that maybe she should not have known about...like terrorists being held by the CIA in the safe house and that was the reason for the attack and Petraeus knew it was a terrorist attack within 24 hrs and that's what he reported,sounds like she wanted to look like the important one with all this inside info,now whether any is true,I don't know,but it should bring up the question...did pillow talk turn into a threat for the USA ? And if so this adultery plays a roll in the cover up of Benghazi,and they should both be punished as well as anyone involved,It's not a Witch hunt,It's a fact finding mission,The American people as well as most of all the Family's deserve the real truth.We had the 911 panel investigate and we should investigate this also,Period.
Eisenhower had a mistress for the whole war and went home to his wife and became President ! Petraeus only a few months of sex with Broadwell and he's taken down. Maybe they need a new course at the military academies to help future leaders in how to deal with the cell phone, e-mail, agency tracking that will takeover your personal life !
Ooopps! Guess the General didn't keep the company line. Now the jig is up one could say. Even many Democrats had trouble spinning this one. Seems someone at the White House edited the intelligence. Wonder who would have removed all talk of terrorism from the intelligence. So the truth was sacrifice for political expediency. Now the question is who edited the intelligence? Jarret, Axelrod, Plouffe ? The game is on. Even liberal media can smell the blood in the water. Can they resist the feed frenzie? Which one wants to pass up ideology to make a career becoming the next Woodward and Bernstein. Can the Obama Administration keep a cap on this one? Well, seems the General let the cat out of the bag. So who will be chosen to be the fall guy?
Ray, quit pretending to know what you're talking about.
Why is it that we spend trillions of dollars on the military-- more than the next 20 countries COMBINED, and yet we keep hearing that good American generals are so very rare these days. What does that say about our priorities and the way the DoD spends our tax dollars? A good general is probably worth billions in saved hardware-- but that wouldn't keep the war machine going, would it? Further evidence that the DoD is just another form of welfare for the bomb-makers? Further reason to cut the defense budget.