David Petraeus resigns as CIA chief citing affair

[thatsmystory]

Who goes straight to the FBI in regard to threatening emails? Is that not a leap? Did the FBI immediately say "An email dispute between two people? Hell yes! Let's do this!"

Maybe this took place but it sure sounds a little farfetched.

[thatsmystory]

Morell is a native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.[5] He joined the CIA in 1980. He was chief of the CIA's division on Asia, Pacific and Latin America.[6] Most of his work in the agency was devoted to Asian projects.[5] He also managed the staff that produced the Presidential Daily Briefings for President George W. Bush.[5][6] Before his 2010 nomination as Deputy Director, Morell served as Director for Intelligence, a position he had held since 2008. Before that, he served as the CIA's first Associate Deputy Director from 2006-2008.

He was one of Ronald Kessler's sources for his book The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack. Kessler is sort of right wing and his articles tend to run on NewsMax. So incredibly he gets access to all sorts of high level people. Go figure!

Kessler noted that Morell attended Booker Elementary with Bush. When Bush asked Morell during the flight to Omaha who was behind 9/11 Morell told him that he was positive the attack was done by al Qaeda. When Air Force One reached Ohama al Qaeda was confirmed when Tenet told Bush on the phone that three names on the manifests were linked to al Qaeda. Believe it or not Kessler doesn't mention at this point that the CIA knew about these names since January 2000.

[barracuda]

Even if you buy the Benghazi-gate angle here (and I don't - the dismissal of the head of the CIA is not required to extinguish the minor brush-fire amongst the rabid far-right republican base), that doesn't explain why Petraus felt it necessary to let the world know he'd been fucking Paula Broadwell. He could have stepped down to pursue other career possibilities, for personal reasons, to spend more time with his family, etc., and no one would have blinked an eye. There's an element of reputation destruction here that goes beyond the exigencies of the current political situation as it's being presented even in the conspiracy realm.

But maybe they're just serving him up Chicago style.

[justdrew]

how many Stinger ground-to-air missiles went missing in Libya again?

the point being, Maybe he was smart enough to not take the bait

how would "troops" have gotten there? In an unplanned mad rush, on helicopters, to a known expected location, with stinger missiles all over the place. Obama probably avoided his own Jimmy Carter style "failed hostage rescue" moment what would have quickly become the latest conspiracy theory October Surprise style event. It's Possible he knows damn well it was the neocons and their "local" allies who set the whole fucking attack up? What are the odds that would be allowed to become known? Of course it wouldn't be. The only thing being hidden is likely that an ambassador was killed by forces under the guidance of his erstwhile compatriots. I wouldn't be surprised if the primary targets of drones are local forces who were at one time operating with hidden US backing. Cleanup and clearance of the neocon's controlled opposition.

[Iamwhomiam]

Let's not forget the real possibility that the Benghazi attack could have been perpetrated by the far-right controlled CIA in an attempt to win the election by proving Obama weak and unable to defend our consulate.

What better payback could be offered?

[JackRiddler]

I'm going to throw a childish, narcissistic, attention-seeking tantrum now, because no one has noticed this yet:

The Bush man at the Pentagon, Gates -- retired. Obama's choice, Panetta, is in. Petraeus -- neutralized, withdrawn from his Afghanistan flag-waving photo-ops and sent into the bowels of the CIA, an agency with a proven history of stimying and dispensing with directors considered hostile to it.

From viewtopic.php?t=31969&p=399617#p399618

[Iamwhomiam]

I caught it earlier, Jack. It's truthful. Thank goodness for the wayback machine.

[lupercal]

There's an element of reputation destruction here that goes beyond the exigencies of the current political situation as it's being presented even in the conspiracy realm.

Object lesson intended for domestic and overseas consumption? It would not surprise me for example if Netanyahu withdrew from his race before the Jan. 22 election he scheduled in October. Maybe also payback for the Clinton impeachment? Don't forget that Hilly took a bigger hit than BO and was absent from his entire campaign including the convention.

[thatsmystory]

Even if you buy the Benghazi-gate angle here (and I don't - the dismissal of the head of the CIA is not required to extinguish the minor brush-fire amongst the rabid far-right republican base), that doesn't explain why Petraus felt it necessary to let the world know he'd been fucking Paula Broadwell. He could have stepped down to pursue other career possibilities, for personal reasons, to spend more time with his family, etc., and no one would have blinked an eye. There's an element of reputation destruction here that goes beyond the exigencies of the current political situation as it's being presented even in the conspiracy realm.

The identity of the woman who complained about the harassing messages from Ms. Broadwell has not been disclosed. She was not a family member or in the government, the officials said, and the nature of her relationship with Mr. Petraeus was not immediately known.

She must have some pull to get an FBI investigation initiated over a threatening* email from an acquaintance.

*We have no clue as to the nature of the threatening email. All we know so far is that if you are writing a bio of David Petraeus and you have a chance to get his Gmail contact list and send threatening emails to people on that list---you have to do it. It's just too good an opportunity to pass up.

[hava007]

There's an element of reputation destruction here that goes beyond the exigencies of the current political situation as it's being presented even in the conspiracy realm.

Object lesson intended for domestic and overseas consumption? It would not surprise me for example if Netanyahu withdrew from his race before the Jan. 22 election he scheduled in October. Maybe also payback for the Clinton impeachment? Don't forget that Hilly took a bigger hit than BO and was absent from his entire campaign including the convention.

If that was meant to "hit' netanyahu, it hasnt. In Israel, business as usual, nobody knows anything, netanyahu as good as usual, of course, unless he changes the constitutional regime, elections have to happen, its long overdue, its his second term, and served to the full length, but nobody seems to be of concern. If Hillary wants revenge she should spell out what Natanyahu (et. al) were doing, and how it affected the well being of Israeli citizens. ("the trafficking...the trafficking..."). Otherwise, only those in the loop read the cues, and they are of no consequence in the Israeli election system, the multitude is supporting him more than ever.

[lupercal]

^ thanks hava, great to hear from you! I could be way off but I'm thinking more along the lines of a "we did it to him and we can do it to you" kind of thing, and who's to say whether he's already received a visit from concerned intel agents looking into an "unrelated" case, as Petraeus supposedly did? I'll admit that revenge is not really BO's style, but I've never seen him or Hilly as pissed off as they were the day after Benghazi, and Hilly is probably not as forgiving. It hit both of them where it hurts. Anyway it's just a theory, but if it happens, you heard it here first!

[barracuda]

Let's take the Hollywood script route on this just for kicks and construct a tortuous love triangle. I'm casting Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner as our principles, naturally, and our unidentified third party remains a closely guarded secret identity, maybe a cameo, to be sprung or not as the plot requires. Madam X is not a family member or in the government, but that still leaves open a variety of interesting possibles. And the presumption is that Mrs. Broadwell has taken an irate turn over what she no doubt views as a usurpation of her time with the charismatic general. Somebody has horned in, maybe she figures, and she's steamed. So she sends a message or three, and makes with the anonymous threats. Madame X doesn't warm to it and soon enough she's had enough, so she contacts her local FBI, and sure enough it's a federal interstate communications rap in violation of U.S. Statute 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), specifically:

Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing ... any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

A bit of investigation and the FBI are suddenly and unexpectedly peeping at a history of hot, dirty email correspondence between certain parties played by Lancaster and Gardner, and then voila, four months later, a conscientious FBI whistleblower contacts none other than Eric Fucking Cantor (played by Kirk Douglas):

the revelation of Cantor’s role in the scandal - and the emergence of an FBI whistle-blower - raises dramatic new questions about how the bureau conducted what was clearly a hugely sensitive problem, both in terms of the FBI’s relationship with the CIA and what it could mean for the highly esteemed Petraeus.

It also raises the stakes for the political fallout surrounding the scandal. Top CIA officials have been asked to brief members of the House Intelligence Committee next week on what happened and how the case unfolded.

“I was contacted by an F.B.I. employee concerned that sensitive, classified information may have been compromised and made certain [FBI] Director Mueller was aware of these serious allegations and the potential risk to our national security,” Cantor said in a statement.

Petraeus resigned on Friday after 14 months atop the CIA while admitting to an extramarital affair. The announcement stunned Washington, as lawmakers, Obama administration officials and the press scrambled to find out the reasons behind his abrupt departure.

James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, only learned about the FBI probe on Tuesday, according to news reports. Following discussions with Petraeus, Clapper told the CIA director he should resign. Petraeus then met with President Barack Obama on Thursday to inform him of that decision.

The informant was brought to Cantor’s attention by Rep. David Reichert (R-Wash.). Reichert declined to comment on his role in the scandal.

A Cantor aide said Stombres spoke with FBI officials on Oct. 31 to pass on the allegations about Petraeus.
Cantor’s office declined to provide more information beyond saying that the New York Times report “was accurate.”

I'm thinking I might now know who was ready to blackmail the good general.

[Wombaticus Rex]

Who goes straight to the FBI in regard to threatening emails? Is that not a leap? Did the FBI immediately say "An email dispute between two people? Hell yes! Let's do this!"

People with security clearance are not like you and me.

That is not unusual.

[seemslikeadream]

^^^

and Feinstein's really pissed she just found out

[hava007]

the "first read it here" point is funny, given that you (had you been reading here even 5 years ago) and others first read here, from me, how it is done and was done 20 years ago or so, i believe netanyahu royal couple was younger but learning to traffick and extort, and clinton environment was targeted. This board was part of the gagging/cover up of the issue, so we are now seeing that the achievements of this approach were not so impressive.

In case you are right, which appears that way, i am not relieved, some cloak and dagger "in the closet" ? well, he will retire rich.
rather i'd hope that this signifies the closing of the THAT sex bait grooming business , because everyone is susceptible and so the weapon is neutralized, exposed and rendered ineffective. The Savile expose and now this and some other stuff is pointing to this possibility. the scope and nature of the sex baiting control issue should be exposed before its time to celebrate.

^ thanks hava, great to hear from you! I could be way off but I'm thinking more along the lines of a "we did it to him and we can do it to you" kind of thing, and who's to say whether he's already received a visit from concerned intel agents looking into an "unrelated" case, as Petraeus supposedly did? I'll admit that revenge is not really BO's style, but I've never seen him or Hilly as pissed off as they were the day after Benghazi, and Hilly is probably not as forgiving. It hit both of them where it hurts. Anyway it's just a theory, but if it happens, you heard it here first!