Personal Security Detachment (PSD) lost track of him. For at least an hour, the general was out there flapping in the breeze without any security around him because the SUV filled with his bodyguards was stuck in traffic at the end of the parade.
What the PSD personnel may have lacked as bodyguards, they made up for by knowing the intimate details of his personal life. One of those details was Paula Broadwell.
It was well known to Petraeusâs Personal Security Detachment that he and Broadwell were having an affair. He wasnât the only high-ranking Agency head or general engaged in extramarital relations, but when the 7th floor wanted Petraeus out, they cashed in their chips.
The FBI had been alerted to Paula Broadwellâs shenanigans months prior and had investigated her and her relationship with the general. In fact, the FBI had been trying to shut the investigation down for months prior to Petraeusâs resignation for the simple reason that they could find no criminal wrongdoing. The reality of the situation is that high-ranking CIA officers had already discovered the affair by consulting with Petraeusâs PSD and then found a way to initiate an FBI investigation in order to create a string of evidence and an investigative trail that led to the information they already hadâin other words, an official investigation that could be used to force Petraeus to resign.
The FBI was never allowed to shut down their investigation. What benefit FBI director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Eric Holder got by playing along with the CIAâs palace coup is unknown at this time. It is interesting that Petraeus was already on his way out the door over Benghazi and the CIA nonetheless forced him out on their terms rather than on his own. It seems purely vindictive, and perhaps was meant to sabotage any future possibility of a presidential campaign.
For her part, Paula Broadwell has hired a high-power public relations firm to rehabilitate her image, and none of us are looking forward to the daytime talk show or reality TV program that we all fear is coming.
G ENERAL H AM
In the wake of the Benghazi attack, the political media machine went into overdrive, each end of the spectrum trying to paint their opposition in the worst light possible. One rumor that began circulating on the internet was that General Ham, the AFRICOM commander at the time of the 9/11/12 attack, had âgone rogue.â The story went that the Obama administration did not want to send reinforcements or support the GRS element in Benghazi and had ordered General Ham to stand down air support and other assets that could have been moved into the theatre. It was said that General Ham had blown off these orders and was preparing to support the GRS team when he was âapprehendedâ and later forced into retirement.
Great story, but completely false. Sources indicate that the DOD rebuttal is actually much closer to the truth in this case. The original rumor was spread by someone making an anonymous post on an internet message board. From there, rather dubious media outlets picked up the story and ran with it, fooling many people in the process.
âThe speculation that General Carter Ham is departing Africa Command due to events in Benghazi, Libya, on [Sept. 11,] 2012 is absolutely false,â Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in his statement. âGeneral Hamâs departure is part of routine succession planning that has been ongoing since July. He continues to serve in Africom with my complete confidence,â the release reads (www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=118400).
Check your sources. Donât be a cyber-chump.
ACâ130
Another cute story was that there was an ACâ130 gunship circling over Benghazi the night of the attack but that the crew was denied permission to initiate airstrikes in support of the GRS element on the ground. This story is also false. There were two
What the PSD personnel may have lacked as bodyguards, they made up for by knowing the intimate details of his personal life. One of those details was Paula Broadwell.
It was well known to Petraeusâs Personal Security Detachment that he and Broadwell were having an affair. He wasnât the only high-ranking Agency head or general engaged in extramarital relations, but when the 7th floor wanted Petraeus out, they cashed in their chips.
The FBI had been alerted to Paula Broadwellâs shenanigans months prior and had investigated her and her relationship with the general. In fact, the FBI had been trying to shut the investigation down for months prior to Petraeusâs resignation for the simple reason that they could find no criminal wrongdoing. The reality of the situation is that high-ranking CIA officers had already discovered the affair by consulting with Petraeusâs PSD and then found a way to initiate an FBI investigation in order to create a string of evidence and an investigative trail that led to the information they already hadâin other words, an official investigation that could be used to force Petraeus to resign.
The FBI was never allowed to shut down their investigation. What benefit FBI director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Eric Holder got by playing along with the CIAâs palace coup is unknown at this time. It is interesting that Petraeus was already on his way out the door over Benghazi and the CIA nonetheless forced him out on their terms rather than on his own. It seems purely vindictive, and perhaps was meant to sabotage any future possibility of a presidential campaign.
For her part, Paula Broadwell has hired a high-power public relations firm to rehabilitate her image, and none of us are looking forward to the daytime talk show or reality TV program that we all fear is coming.
G ENERAL H AM
In the wake of the Benghazi attack, the political media machine went into overdrive, each end of the spectrum trying to paint their opposition in the worst light possible. One rumor that began circulating on the internet was that General Ham, the AFRICOM commander at the time of the 9/11/12 attack, had âgone rogue.â The story went that the Obama administration did not want to send reinforcements or support the GRS element in Benghazi and had ordered General Ham to stand down air support and other assets that could have been moved into the theatre. It was said that General Ham had blown off these orders and was preparing to support the GRS team when he was âapprehendedâ and later forced into retirement.
Great story, but completely false. Sources indicate that the DOD rebuttal is actually much closer to the truth in this case. The original rumor was spread by someone making an anonymous post on an internet message board. From there, rather dubious media outlets picked up the story and ran with it, fooling many people in the process.
âThe speculation that General Carter Ham is departing Africa Command due to events in Benghazi, Libya, on [Sept. 11,] 2012 is absolutely false,â Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in his statement. âGeneral Hamâs departure is part of routine succession planning that has been ongoing since July. He continues to serve in Africom with my complete confidence,â the release reads (www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=118400).
Check your sources. Donât be a cyber-chump.
ACâ130
Another cute story was that there was an ACâ130 gunship circling over Benghazi the night of the attack but that the crew was denied permission to initiate airstrikes in support of the GRS element on the ground. This story is also false. There were two
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