Jill Kelley Sues Feds Over David Petraeus Sex Scandal
Jill Kelley, the Tampa, Fla., socialite who triggered the federal investigation that exposed CIA Director David H. Petraeus’ extramarital affair and forced his resignation, is suing the FBI and Pentagon for violating her privacy and turning her into an object of national ridicule.
Kelley says U.S. officials obtained unauthorized access to her personal emails after she reported receiving anonymous, threatening messages beginning in June 2012. She also alleges that officials unlawfully disclosed her name to the news media after Petraeus’ affair became public.
The FBI and Pentagon “willfully and maliciously thrust the Kelleys into the maw of public scrutiny concerning one of the most widely reported sex scandals to rock the United States government,” according to a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington. The complaint says Kelley and her husband, Scott, are seeking an apology and unspecified monetary damages.
An FBI spokesman said the bureau couldn’t comment on a pending legal matter.
The threatening emails were determined to have been sent by Paula Broadwell, Petraeus’s mistress and biographer, who viewed Kelley as a rival for his affections. Kelley never engaged in adultery, the complaint says, and met Petraeus through social events she organized in Tampa while he served as commander of U.S. Central Command, based at nearby MacDill Air Force Base.
The November scandal also ensnared Gen. John R. Allen, who received the first threatening email and passed it on to Kelley, whom he also met as Centcom commander. The inquiry into their relationship — including hundreds of emails they exchanged — held up Allen’s bid to become commander of NATO.
