Former CIA chief David Petraeus insisted he never passed any state secrets to his mistress, and called his secret love life “something dishonorable,” according to a broadcast report today.
The disgraced spymaster spoke to Headline News reporter Kyra Phillips following his shocking resignation six days ago, over an extramarital affair he had with his biographer Paula Broadwell.
“[Petraeus] had told me he had engaged in something dishonorable. He sought to do the honorable thing in response,” according to Phillips, quoting the retired four-star general and former Afghanistan commander.
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David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell
Petraeus also said his stunning resignation had nothing to do with the heat he and the White House have been feeling since terrorists attacked the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Some Congressional Republicans have wondered out loud if Petraeus’ move was signed to dodge testimony about the attack that killed ambassador Craig Stevens and three other Americans.
“He has said this has nothing to do with Benghazi. He wants to testify. He will testify,” Phillips said.
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“He has maintained to me all along that this was a personal failing … he has made it very clear that this was an extramarital affair and not over classified information or Benghazi.”
The HLN reporter said she’s known Patraeus for years on the job, and they’ve worked closely on charitable efforts on behalf of military families.
“It’s been really disappointing and shocking,” Phillips said. “This is somebody of great discipline and great leadership and I never ever expected, of all the men and women I know in uniform, this is an individual that I would have never expected this to happen.”
Petraeus told Phillips that he hasn’t spoken to Broadwell since the scandal broke.
Petraeus’ insistence that he never passed secrets to Broadwell could contradict an ABC News report, that investigators found a substantial amount of classified information improperly secured on her personal computer.
The files were discovered on a machine removed from Broadwell’s Charlotte, NC, home as the feds investigated her sordid affair with the military commander whose biography she co-wrote, investigators told ABC News.
Investigators also found documents Broadwell admitted taking from secure government buildings, a source the network, adding the government demanded that they all be returned.
