(Newser)
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David Petraeus' sex scandal just got a lot bigger. The Pentagon has revealed that it is investigating Gen. John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, for allegedly sending "inappropriate communications" to Jill Kelley, Petraeus' other other woman. The FBI referred the matter to the Pentagon on Sunday, Leon Panetta tells the AP. Allen, who is married, will remain as commander of the International Security Assistance Force. But Politico reveals that his nomination to be NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe has been placed on hold, at Panetta's request.
A senior Pentagon official says 20,000 to 30,000 pages, mostly emails, from Allen's communications with Kelley between 2010 and 2012 are under review. He wouldn't comment on their contents, but Reuters reports that the volume alone is enough to raise eyebrows: an exchange of an average of 30 pages of communication daily. "Even if the notes were short, such intense interaction might have consumed a lot of Allen's time," it notes. Echoed Ret. Gen. James Marks on CNN this morning, "That’s a heck of a lot of time behind the computer sending notes to a party planner, from a senior officer who has, obviously, a bunch of things on his plate." The Pentagon official says "Gen. Allen disputes that he has engaged in any wrongdoing in this matter."
