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Subscribe to RSSGen. Allen, who had been investigated after emailing a Tampa socialite involved in the David Petraeus scandal, had not engaged in inappropriate behavior according to the Department of Defense Inspector General. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
The Defense Department’s inspector general has found that allegations that Gen. John Allen engaged in inappropriate behavior in emails he exchanged with Tampa, Fla., socialite Jill Kelley were unsubstantiated.
"The IG cleared him," a defense official told NBC News, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Allen, the current commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, has been nominated to be Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, but that promotion was put on hold when the IG investigation began. The defense official stressed that no decision has been made yet on whether his nomination will go forward again.
A statement Wednesday by the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan on behalf of Allen said he had been informed that investigators “the allegations against him were unsubstantiated and … that he did not violate the requirement of exemplary conduct or the prohibition against conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. “
“He's obviously pleased by the outcome,” it said. “But more critically, he is grateful for the support he received throughout this process from his chain of command, friends, family and colleagues. He remains focused, as he has always been, on leading the brave men and women of the ISAF team."
Allen’s nomination was jeopardized in mid-November when it was revealed that he had exchanged emails with Kelley that some Pentagon officials at the time characterized as “inappropriate” and “flirtatious.”
Allen had met Kelley when he was commander of MacDill Air Force Base outside Tampa, where she served as a volunteer “social liaison.”
She inadvertently drew him into the scandal that led to the resignation of former CIA Director David Petraeus by complaining to an FBI agent with whom she was acquainted about anonymous emails referencing Petraeus. Among those emails was one that Allen had forwarded to her in the belief that she had sent it to him as a joke, officials told NBC News at the time.
FBI agents eventually traced the allegedly threatening emails to Paula Broadwell, Petraeus' biographer. That investigation also led to evidence of an extramarital affair between Petraeus and Broadwell, prompting his resignation on Nov. 7. Days later, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the investigation into Allen’s relationship with Kelley.
Jill Kelley speaks out: 'I knew I was being stalked'
The inspector general’s investigation does not determine guilt or innocence. Rather, it decides whether an allegation is substantiated or not. Even if the finding is that the allegation is unsubstantiated, the IG can still make a recommendation that can harm an officer’s career.
Jim Miklaszewski is NBC News' Chief Pentagon Correspondent; Courtney Kube is an NBC News producer at the Pentagon. Mike Brunker, NBC News investigations editor, contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
It was very proper. He asked her if he could PLEASE have sex with her.
Then he used a Stealth Trogan on the Tampa hoe, no radar signature ever detected.........
Hummmmmmmm ... A "mountain out of a mole hill" Careers ruined, all because of sex, and one woman's big mouth & jealousy !
Jill Kelly, Lebanese housewife, socialite and general party girl......why does our military allow this woman access to our military and visiting dignataries?
Since the email was proper, then too bad he cannot sue for defamation of character. Maybe everyone will get a chance to read a disclaimer and told to forget everything reported in the news up to date.
That's all well and good but the damage is already done so.... He's kind of screwed anyway.
Whew!!!, I was starting to get worried that our military leaders were running around with boners and chasing women around when they should have been actually running the millitary.
He must not be usable to Obama, for if he was, Obama would have destroyed him too. Either that, or Obama needs him down the road, gathering the tools of the socialist agenda. He's parked away, like a sleeper agent, until he is needed. Go comfortably retire, knowing retirement could be erased with a pen stroke.
You must be an unhappy person. Sad!
I know the future and I smile. You're not in it.
Urban - Living in a sphere of paranoia must be tough. ghult is right...you must be one miserable f*ck to come on here and spout off with such delusional nonsense.
I don't know the future, but I do know that you will not be in it either.
He's still using his Walmart crystal ball.
When someone's life is as empty and useless as Urban's, you'll find you have to summon imaginary scenarios in which you have secret knowledge kept from the rest of us and only shared when the need for attention and accolades become overwhelming. Otherwise you just shoot yourself in the head.
You mean a high ranking officer in the United States failed to be charged with anything? Shock and surprise. Do we actually send any CEO in the financial services or high ranking military officials to prison anymore? Can anyone remember the last time?
Bernie Madoff, Rajat Gupta, Allan Stanford, Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling to name a few.
Obviously there should be a lot more names on this list of financial services criminals.
You mean the media printed unverified information like it was gospel handed down on stone tablets, and was generally unfair to Allen?
Shocking, just shocking.
Good. Now if the mainstream media could just drop this and get on to something important...like where is Hugo Chavez and how long has he been there?
Who cares about Chavez, he is a dead stiff full of Cuban pickle juice right now......
Stunning that a high ranking officer cleared another high ranking officer. If he had no stars, he would have been screwed.
Another idiotic comment from a pogue who has no clue as to how the IG works.
He probably be Emailing a little less in the future. just guessing.
Did anybody expect a different ruling from this administration? Just saying..
This investigation was conducted by military officers and civil service employees, not political appointees.
David. Please stay with the low IQ faction "talking points;" EVERYTHING is Obama's fault. As much as the Right trashes him he must be omnipotent and omnipresent because he is everywhere all at once. Or he should be according to most of these lamebrained statements. On another note i used to have a ski buddy in Lake Tahoe named Dave Hoffman. Any relation?
Gee whiz. A Pentagon panel found one of its own to be clear of any wrongdoing. Knock me over with a feather...
So he didn't have sex with her or even email sex. That says nothing regarding an inappropriate relationship with a non-entity social climber whose only name to fame was throwing parties for bigwigs like Allen and getting millions of dollars into debt thus resulting in foreclosure and ten lawsuits for not paying her bills. Hmmmmm. Says an awful lot about his lack of judgement and his inability to judge people. Whoa..... that is just the type of person we want in Europe.......
Well, let's have the Obama media hunt down a couple more generals or admirals. Makes cutting back the military a little easier if the big boys fear for their careers.
kip: Did you check out kkwilson's post ( #11 )? Maybe you and kk could have an unsubstantiated-conjecture war.
the problem with any agency investigating itself there are always "favors". I have been a proud member of DOD since 1968 both active and as a civilian and I can affirm that these so called investigations are biase3d. Currently over 800 senior officers in DOD are "under investigation" most will be allowed to retire without any punishment
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/06/20/u-s-col-johnson-guilty-fraud-bigamy-iraqi-wife/ prime example slap on the wrist been an enlisted person be sitting in a cell someplace
Kelly is a used up mom, looking for attention and did not/find it. Worse she is a deushbag. America is full of these type of women, just look at the k-dogs and there spooks.
It makes sense the Pentagon would circle the wagons to support General Allen. There's been enough damage from this silly story already.
Peer review by a Pentagon entity may actually have been more critical than by an outside group. In spite of any tinge of so-called 'good old boy' favoritism, the IG is not going to casually dismiss anything of a damaging nature.
Socialite? Is that what we're calling them now?
i still call them whores, never was a fan for being politically correct.
'O' Clubs and Staff NCO clubs on military bases around the US have been 'meat' markets for a long time. Prime examples are the 'O' Club at Miramar where Top Gun is located, and for Marines and other E-6 and above was the '17' Area Staff NCO club at Camp Pendleton. Douchebags? The places were decorated with them. Jill Kelley would have fit right in with the 'Tailhook' crowd.
Bubby's Grandpa, Those "meat" markets are closing. We lost our Officers Club after they discovered a previously unknown bug and rodent investation. They said the cost to sterilize and renovate was too much. Nonsense. The clubs were inspected as frequently as any of the food serving operations on base. The base commander needed to cut operating costs and had previously wanted to build another conference center. So the Officers Club was closed, the building "cleaned" and then reopened as a conference center. You can bring your brown bag, lunch box, or catered food from approved on base sources if you want food during a conference. I expect the same thing will soon happen at many military bases in the CONUS.
Bummer, the Marines have lost a great institution.
Heavy..
The Federal Government investigated itself and found no reason for concern. Move along there's nothing to see here...
Extramarital affairs?? If its good enough for Clinton its good enough for all!
As anyone who has spent any substantial time in the military knows -- the IG is not an independent investigator, on the contrary the IG works for the commander. While Gen. Allen may very well be less than culpable in this mess, to conclude as much simply from an IG investigation is wishful thinking. What the IG does is to allow the commander to take a position that can be supported by the facts available. More than one IG investigation has been amended or original conclusion withdrawn when newer facts become available. In 32-years of military service I have seen IG investigations designed to come to predetermined ends, to basically CYA a commander and staff, if not the whole service.
Fully agree, Granite. Very well stated and entirely true.
So, any married person in the military can use government equipment while on the job, to exchange 'penthouse' style erotic letters via government email with any other married person?
Nice.
NOT suprised at this mess. He's a general on active duty. If he was punished, he'd resign ASAP and all the political cronies would be up a creek WAP. Any other soldier doing this BS (THOUSANDS of adulterous emails while ON DUTY), would get an Article 15 ASAP.
I feel really "safe" knowing the leader of our military is literally screwing around while we taxpayers pay him to do it and give him free computer/internet use to do so.
The commander and chief set the bar high along with new standards in 1998
If you want to go with 'setting standards,' maybe you should look no further than President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
Sorry but, the profile of Jill Kelley is yelling out "spy".
1. Born Gilberte Khawam in Beirut, Lebanon.
2. Twin sister.
3. Socialite
4. Frequently threw lavish parties for military leaders at their home near United States Central Command.
5. Although she had no official status and was not employed by the U.S. government, she was given an appreciation certificate recognizing her as an "honorary ambassador" in Florida to the coalition of countries at the United States Central Command.
6. Kelley also was made an honorary consul general for the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in August 2011, in thanks for her volunteer work with coalition troops. As such, she had "honorary consul" license plates on her Mercedes which conferred no special privileges.
7. The FBI found that there were "thousands of emails" between Kelley and General John R Allen, Petraeus's successor as top commander in Afghanistan.
I smell a spy alright, but for whom. Is she a CIA operative? Is this how the CIA keeps on eye on the Generals? Why Allen? Has he come out clean?
Stay tuned ...
I doubt the CIA would put someone that ignorant about the e-mail system and network security of the DOD as an undercover operative. I would agree her actions might make her as an agent for someone else. The Lebanese government and business community comes to my mind first and the South Korean government and business community next. That "honorary" stuff needs to be ended. It gets people in trouble too easily. If you are not an official representative appointed in writing by the legal government of a particular nation, you are not a "counsul" or "ambassador". You should not be getting any special license plates or base entry privileges. One thing I resented when I was on duty was the ridiculous nonsense that went on to cozy up to the local business and social people. Remember the USN submarine that collided with the fishing boat while giving rides to some local business and social people. That kind of unnesscesary stuff was supossed to be eliminated. Let them go see a submarine simulator, but keep them off our working submarines. These people do not need to get rides in fighter aircraft, fighter trainer aircraft, attack helicopters, and the like. Let them have some simulator time. It costs less. Save the actual ejection seat positions for the crew chiefs and technicians. They get more out of it and pass the knowledge on to others in the unit. The rides in C-130s, C-5s, KC-10s, KC-135s and H-60s and similar aircraft seem OK. The ground crews get to ride in them often enough.
This whole thing was a mess from the beginning. Seems like the "socialite" was having a good ole time till she got pissed off, then the "good ole boys" network had to swoop in and save their buddy.
In the mean time, who has access to military intelligence?