Top General Emailed Woman in Petraeus Scandal

Pentagon investigating John Allen's links to Jill Kelley
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 13, 2012 1:24 AM CST
Updated Nov 13, 2012 7:41 AM CST
Top US Commander in Afghanistan Probed in Petraeus Scandal
This July 22, 2012 photo shows Gen. John Allen, top commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) and US forces in Afghanistan, during an interview in Kabul.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq, File)

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." (More David Petraeus stories.)

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