Retired Army General David Petraeus has agreed to a plea deal with federal prosecutors over allegations that he shared classified information with his biographer Paula Broadwell, with whom he later admitted having an affair. Under the terms of the deal, the former commander in Iraq and Afghanistan could avoid jail time.
Federal prosecutors say Petraeus took notebooks, containing classified information, with him when he returned from Afghanistan and kept them at his home in Washington, D.C.
Prosecutors say the general lent the notebooks to Broadwell for a few days in 2011, while she worked on his biography, and later lied about it. But, the charges only include removing and retaining classified material—Petraeus having the notebooks in his home, a misdemeanor. Former federal prosecutor Michael Sussman suspects the lack of any charge for lying to investigators was a significant part of the deal.
“People go to jail for [those] violations,” says Sussman. “My guess is that was part of the deal.”
Under the plea deal, Petraeus would pay a $40,000 fine and receive two years probation. In return, prosecutors will not press for jail time or further charges. A judge still must approve the deal.
The case will be heard in the U.S. District Court in Charlotte.
