Petraeus' Deal: a Guilty Plea

It relates to classified material found on his lover's computer
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 3, 2015 10:59 AM CST
Petraeus' Deal: a Guilty Plea
Gen. David Petraeus.   (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Though the New York Times in January reported that ex-CIA chief David Petraeus had no interest in a plea deal over his alleged mishandling of classified materials, it seems he has arrived at just that. The DOJ today released a statement saying Petraeus has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, reports the AP. The New York Times reports the misdemeanor charge carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison, but the Washington Post reports that federal prosecutors will instead ask for two years of probation.

The case has its roots in 2012, when Petraeus retired as CIA director in the wake of his affair with Army Reserve officer Paula Broadwell. An investigation found classified documents on her computer and evidence that she had access to his private CIA email account. How the Times sums up today's development: "The plea deal completes a spectacular fall for Mr. Petraeus ... [and] spares Mr. Petraeus a high-profile trial where embarrassing details about the affair would have been presented to the jury and made public. Mr. Petraeus is still married to Holly Petraeus." (More David Petraeus stories.)

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