The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Army is recommending retired general David H. Petraeus not face further punishment for screwing his biographer and leaking top-secret materials to her.
The decision on whether to punish Petraeus under military law will be made by U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter. He can overrule the Army’s recommendation, but that would be unusual.
Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary, said Carter still has not yet formally received the Army’s recommendation. “Once he reviews the recommendation in full he will make his decision,” Cook said.
After a lengthy investigation by the FBI that disgraced the reputation of the one-time military hero, Petraeus pleaded guilty in April in federal court in North Carolina to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials. He received two years probation and a $100,000 fine.
Petraeus’s civilian sentence, however, did not exempt him from further punishment at the hands of the military. As part of his plea deal with the Justice Department, he admitted in a signed statement that he had committed wrongdoing while he was still in the Army before he retired in 2011 to take charge of the CIA.
He also acknowledged he lied to FBI agents.
“Army recommends no punishment for Petraeus after receiving DOJ materials” [washingtonpost.com]