Petraeus’ plea deal
Chief Tango sends us a link to The Atlantic where David Graham discusses the plea deal between the Justice Department and David Petraeus;
If you’re a CIA analyst who talks to reporters, you might end up serving 30 months in federal prison or facing more. Even a reporter could end up being named a co-conspirator by prosecutors. But if you’re a decorated general, a former CIA director, and a former member of the Cabinet, you might get off with a $40,000 fine and two years of probation.
[…]
In Petraeus’s case, there was no proven harm to national security, but prosecutors said the type of breach he committed, especially from the head of the CIA, was serious enough to merit prosecution. His plea deal makes it easy for naysayers to think there’s a double standard on who gets a slap on the wrist and who gets sent to a cell.
The charge against Petraeus is Title 18 of the United States Code section 1924 which reads;
(a) Whoever, being an officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of the United States, and, by virtue of his office, employment, position, or contract, becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
(b) For purposes of this section, the provision of documents and materials to the Congress shall not constitute an offense under subsection (a).
(c) In this section, the term “classified information of the United States” means information originated, owned, or possessed by the United States Government concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States that has been determined pursuant to law or Executive order to require protection against unauthorized disclosure in the interests of national security.
It is punishable by a $100,000 fine and a year in prison, so a $40,000 fine and two years of probation sound pretty good. But, Petraeus also sentenced everyone under the pay grade of 0-3 to eight hours each of SHARP and SAEDA PowerPoint presentations quarterly.
The article claims that Petraeus wants to return to public life, he can do that, but not with my support. He may have been a good general, but the whole Broadwell thing shows that he has a propensity for poor judgement, so I’ll never trust him again.
Category: Shitbags
“He may have been a good general, but the whole Broadwell thing shows that he has a propensity for poor judgement, so I’ll never trust him again.”
This.
Concur
I’m afraid I’ll have to agree. I used to like GEN Petraeus. He was my CG during my first deployment to Iraq in 2007, and he gave me one of his command coins for taking out the number 2 HVT in my Brigade’s high value target list. GEN Petraeus gave us Rules of Engagements that I generally agree with, giving free room to BCT commanders to modify them as needed by the operational enviroment. Later when I deployed to Afghanistan I had the opportunity to compare the rules of engagements forced on us by GEN McChrystal to the ones from GEN Petraeus, and the difference was abysmal.
However, it looks to me know that generals don’t really care that much about the average soldier. The Pentagon keeps trying to change our terms of service, short slashing our retirement program with some 401k BS.
I am extremely disappointed with the all the brass at the top, and so are most of the grunts NCOs to my left and right.
Amen!
It’s clear that Petraeus has a problem with SHPS and was simply looking for a way to relieve it, and found it.
His overtly guilty reaction to doing that was to inflict punishment in the form of SHARP and SAEDA on everyone beneath him.
I think a fitting punishment, aside from the fines and such, is to have him sit through daily SHARP stuff until he can’t stand it any more. His deflection of his own guilt onto everyone else does him no credit.
Wouldn’t that get him an ARCOM?
Which one? The ‘sticking hands in pants syndrome’ or the daily SHARP show?
Now that you mention that, how did GEN Petraeus got his second CIB, or is it third? I remember there was something weir about his CIBs, because he got the last one in 2003 when he was already a GEN, and generals don’t get CIB.
For those of us who were in Iraq when he was the MNF-I Commander, let’s not forget his ruthless enforcement of General Order Number 1, where a PFC with a spank magazine faced UCMJ action. Just saying.
No tail is worth that….not even his light handed slap (as the case may be).
I agree with Jonn, and also know that as a Fed myself had my security clearence called into question simply because I did not devulge I had a twin sister.
She died at birth and only now did my parents decide to give her a name (44 years later).
gawd. So sick of the double standard.
so I’ll never trust him again.
Reminds me of this quote I often recite in similar circumstances…
Amen Warrior….Amen
If those two in the pic had had a child together, that baby would have a five-head which would put Peyton Manning to shame.
Like many, I used to admire and respect him. No more. Haven’t for a long time now but not just because of this – because he practically ruined the careers of some folks for near and dear to me. Another 4 star over turned Petraeus’ stupidity (because he signed without reading). Anyway, he definitely deserved more than he got.
A damn shame that someone as brilliant as he seemed to be could be so stupid.
typical brass, sentencing all the enlisted to death by powerpoint while they themselves have their hand in the cookie jar.
must of them commit those infractions at 0-5 though. good for him to wait till he became a GO. ~sarc
most*
So, unless I’m mistaken, he retires with full rank, full pension and an honorable discharge. He heads into civilian life the darling of the media. He’ll make millions on books, speaking engagements…even about sexual misbehavior, possible senior VP of some corporation, paid member of several corporate boards and on and on it goes. $40K and 24 months of “Hey Mr. Probation Officer, how’s it going? Great on my end.”, means nothing to him.
“The higher up you go…the higher the standards.”
Not anymore.
He should have been sentenced to PCS to Ft. Leavenworth… and not as a guest speaker.
At the risk of being crude, politically incorrect and insensitive:
Dear General Petraeus,
Was the pussy really that good?
Sincerely, MSgt PavePusher (ret)
Copy of the plea deal and statement of facts.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/pacer-documents/W.D.N.C.%2015-cr-00047%20dckt%20000003_000%20filed%202015-03-03.pdf
What an f&*^ing idiot! He had several opportunities to ensure that he didn’t get into trouble and still screwed it up.
Don’t speak into a recording device and say that there is code word stuff in your black books. Don’t turn over the black books to NDU as required (he could have given her access to them there without any troubel). Don’t lie when the FBI specifically asks you about doing something, and then don’t continue to keep the black books in your house after the FBI specifically asked you about them!