A computer used by Paula Broadwell, the woman whose affair with CIA director General David Petraeus led to his resignation, contained substantial classified information that should have been stored under more secure conditions, law enforcement and national security officials said yesterday.
Continuing FBI probe into the matter is likely to end without criminal charges
The contents of the classified material and how Broadwell acquired it remain under investigation, said the officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to comment publicly.
But the quantity of classified material found on the computer was significant enough to warrant a continuing investigation, the officials said.
President Barack Obama told a news conference yesterday that there was no indication so far that any classified documents had been disclosed as a result of the scandal but said he will not prejudge the investigation results.
As a reserve officer in military intelligence, Broadwell – co-author of a biography on Petraeus – had security clearances that gave her access to classified material, several officials said. However, government rules require classified materialto be stored in secure locations or computers.
Two officials familiar with the case said that one question investigators are asking was whether Broadwell followed government rules for handling classified information.
Late on Monday, FBI investigators searched Broadwell’s residence in Charlotte, North Carolina, an action that officials said occurred with Broadwell’s consent. Attempts to reach Broadwell, who has remained mainly out of the public eye, have been unsuccessful. She was seen late on Tuesday at her brother’s home in Washington, D.C.
It is unclear where or how Broadwell acquired the classified information. During the FBI investigation that led to the discovery of the affair between Petraeus and Broadwell, both individuals denied that Petraeus had supplied her with any classified information and the FBI accepted those explanations, law enforcement sources have said.
Law enforcement officials have said they believe the continuing FBI probe into the matter is likely to end without criminal charges. If Broadwell is found to have mishandled classified information, she could face action under administrative security regulations.
The latest developments could quash hopes among some at the Justice Department and in Congress for a quick end to a scandal that this week also ensnared the commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, Marine General John Allen.