General David Petraeus, former CIA Director, has decided to plead guilty against the charges after he mishandled classified material.
The general has decided to plead guilty in an attempt to strike a plea deal with officials, in order to avoid trial. If he works with the government, he will most likely avoid prison time for his crime.
The official charges against Petraeus is one count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, but federal prosecutors are working with the judge to get the former general 2 years of probation.
The classified material was given to Petraeus’ mistress, Paula Broadwell, who was writing a biography on Petraeus that she was going to title, “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.” Petraeus gave Broadwell “black books” full of classified information that regarded confidential information about his meetings with Obama, his daily schedule, and other notes.
The plea deal for probation will see Petraeus stepping down from his 4 year career as a general, but the main idea is to avoid prison time, even though nothing is set in stone. Petraeus is currently waiting for his court date.
Petraeus claims that he never gave Broadwell the files, but FBI officials seized the books when they raided Petraeus’ house, where his mistress was staying.
Petraeus was an accomplished Army general with a P.H.D. who was also brought in by President George W. Bush to command multinational forces in Iraq. He was also a potential future Republican candidate for the position of Commander in Chief.
These accomplishments and achievements will definitely help the General as he faces his trials and plea-bargaining, but it’s unfortunate that his reputation will forever be tarnished because of this event.
Sen. John McCain expressed Petraeus’ remorse stating, “With the Department of Justice investigation now complete, Gen. Petraeus has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. He has apologized and expressed deep regret for this situation, and I believe it is time to consider this matter closed. At a time of grave security challenges around the world, I hope that Gen. Petraeus will continue to provide his outstanding service and leadership to our nation, as he has throughout his distinguished career.”
Photo By: AFP: Frederic J Brown
