The U.S. Marine general in charge of allied forces in Afghanistan is under investigation after the FBI found e-mails showing inappropriate communication with a woman whose harassment complaint triggered the resignation of CIA Director David H. Petraeus, a U.S. defense official said. John Allen, who was nominated last month to become NATO’s new Supreme Allied Commander, is being investigated by the Pentagon’s Inspector General after the Federal Bureau of Investigation found e-mails between him and Jill Kelley, according to the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
The FBI has handed over 20,000 to 30,000 pages of documents, most of them e-mails, the official said. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has asked senators to delay action on Allen's nomination to head U.S. forces in Europe.
Kelley is the Florida woman whose complaint to the FBI led to a probe that uncovered an affair between Petraeus, a retired general, and his biographer Paula Broadwell, U.S. officials have said. FBI agents last night searched Broadwell’s North Carolina home as U.S. lawmakers questioned the handling of the investigation that led to Petraeus resigning as head of the Central Intelligence Agency on Nov. 9.
The Pentagon has informed Senators Carl Levin and John McCain of the Senate Armed Services Committee about the allegations against Allen, asking them to postpone his confirmation hearings, Panetta said in a statement released to reporters en route to Australia. A hearing was scheduled to be held in Washington on Nov. 15.
Due Process
Allen will remain commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan while the investigation is under way, and is “entitled to due process,” Panetta said in the statement. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, who was nominated to succeed Allen in his current post, is awaiting approval by the Senate.
Allen has denied that he acted inappropriately, the U.S. defense official said. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice adultery is considered a crime.
The Pentagon’s general counsel learned of the documents from the FBI and informed Panetta’s chief of staff at about 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 11 as the defense secretary was heading to Honolulu, the defense official told reporters on board a military aircraft. President Barack Obama was told about the allegations, the official said.
Three people -- all intelligence, military or congressional officials -- have identified Broadwell, who wrote “All In: The Education of David Petraeus,” as the woman who had an affair with him. The FBI investigation that unearthed the relationship began with a complaint from Kelley about harassing e-mails she had received, according to two law enforcement officials.
Privacy Plea
“We and our family have been friends with General Petraeus and his family for over five years,” Kelley and her husband Scott said in a Nov. 10 statement. “We respect his and his family’s privacy and want the same for us and our three children.”
Allen has emphasized progress in handing more responsibility to Afghanistan forces in the fight against the Taliban as the U.S. prepares to wind down its combat operations by the end of 2014. A review of options for the size and scope of the American military’s role after then will be completed within weeks, Panetta told reporters yesterday.
The U.S. has 68,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of a force of more than 100,000, including members from nations in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Allen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1976, according to his official Marine Corp biography.
