A while back, there was a threat made to reveal the secrets of the CIA. This prompted retired Gen. David Petraeus to step down from his position as military commander and CIA director. His resignation happened in 2012, wherein he was reported to have divulged classified information to Army Reserve officer Paula Broadwell, his mistress. As court documents show, the former general gave Broadwell illegal access to official binders containing highly classified information such as the identities of covert officers, war strategy, diplomatic talks, code word information, intelligence capabilities, and information involving high-level meetings from the White House National Security Council. Petraeus was said to have kept these binders in an unlocked drawer desk in his residence instead of a secure facility meant for handling such classified material.
Following his resignation, Petraeus was questioned by the FBI. At first, he denied giving the information to his mistress. But later on, he avoided being charged with making a false statement on his plea deal. He then admitted to sharing top secret information with Broadwell. This prompted officials to study possible punishments that should be imposed on Petraeus for illegally sharing these classified data. But after careful study, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has decided Petraeus will no longer be imposed with further punishment.
Carter's decision was unveiled in a letter sent by the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, Stephen Hedger. The letter was addressed to John McCain, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, and Sen. Jack Reed. Reuters was able to review the letter, which was found to contain a decision that was in line with that of the army review.
Prior to his final decision, the punishment Carter was considering on Petraeus was to demote him. Apart from using this as a punishment on the disgraced general, it would also hopefully crack down military commanders who had also misbehaved. Now that a decision has been arrived, this demotion will no longer be necessary. On Petraeus' part, he received a two-year probation and a $100,000 fine. A prison sentence was not given.
