Petraeus sex scandal traps ANOTHER general: CIA boss's successor in Afghanistan 'sent THOUSANDS of inappropriate emails to socialite'

• FBI investigates 'potentially inappropriate' communication between General John Allen and Florida housewife Jill Kelley
• Leon Panetta orders Pentagon investigation into emails
• Allen was due to become NATO commander but appointment suspended
• Kelley, 37, is whistleblower who was target of 'threatening messages' from Petraeus' mistress Paula Broadwell

A second top military official was dragged in to the David Petraeus sex scandal early this morning after being accused of sending thousands of 'inappropriate' emails to the socialite who was responsible for exposing the former CIA director's extra-marital affair.
General John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, is under investigation by the FBI after the agency discovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of communication between him and 37-year-old housewife Jill Kelley.
Kelley entered the public eye when she was the target of threatening emails from Paula Broadwell, which the FBI used to uncover the affair between Broadwell and Petraeus, leading to the former general's resignation from the CIA.
Allen, 58, who succeeded Petraeus in Afghanistan, was due to take over as NATO's top commander, but his appointment has been suspended while his relationship with Kelley is investigated.

Details: The FBI will not elaborate on the nature of the relationship between Allen, the senior allied commander in Afghanistan, and Florida housewife Jill Kelley, except to say that it is 'potentially inappropriate'

Scandal: Jill Kelley, the woman who kicked off an FBI probe into General David Petraeus, leaves her Tampa home

Barack Obama had nominated Allen to take over as chief of the military’s European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, but that nomination is now on hold as the Pentagon investigates Allen's relationship with Kelley, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters.

 

He had been expected to take that new post in early 2013 if confirmed by the Senate, as had been widely expected.
The FBI notified the Pentagon of its investigation into Allen’s communications with Kelley on Sunday evening, an unnamed senior defence official said.
Panetta said he immediately notified the White House and top leaders in Congress of the investigation.
Panetta said Allen would remain as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan for now, 'while the matter is under investigation and before the facts are determined.'
Pentagon officials have declined to comment on the nature of the relationship between Kelley and Allen, who is married, except to say that it was 'potentially inappropriate.'

Affair: David Petraeus is pictured with Paula Broadwell, his biographer and alleged mistress.

A CAREER NOW 'ON HOLD'

Allen holds one of the highest profile and most sensitive positions in the military, consulting with Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Afghan President Hamid Karzai as the U.S. prepares to transition control of the country's security to Afghans.

After growing up in Oakton, Virginia, General Allen graduated with military honors from the Naval Academy with the class of 1976. He is a 1998 distinguished graduate of the National War College.
He holds a master of arts degree in national security studies from Georgetown University, a master of science degree in strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College, and a master of science degree in national security strategy from the National War College.
General John R. Allen assumed his duties as the Commander, International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan and United States Forces – Afghanistan on July 18, 2011.
Gen Allen played a key role in countering the Iraq insurgency between 2006 and 2008. He then oversaw a surge in US troops in Afghanistan in battling the Taliban.
In Afghanistan, Gen Allen commanded coalition troops from 50 different countries.
He was nominated in October by President Barack Obama to be Supreme Allied Commander Europe and commander of the U.S. European Command - that is now on hold

Officials have not said whether any national security secrets were breached. 
Adultery is classified as a crime in the military.
Kelley has been in the news this week after it emerged that she was the target of harassing emails from Broadwell, a 40-year-old mother of two from Charlotte, North Carolina who was engaged in an affair with David Petraeus. 
Broadwell sent Kelley a half dozen emails from anonymous accounts earlier this year warning Kelley to stay away from Petraeus.
Broadwell perceived Petraeus as a threat to her relationship with Petraeus, which began in the summer of 2011 and ended the following summer.
Jill Kelley regularly kept in touch with then-Gen. Petraeus when he became commander of the Afghan war effort, the two exchanging near-daily emails and instant messages, two of his former staffers say.
But those messages were exchanged in accounts that his aides monitored as part of their duties and were not romantic in tone, the staffers said.
Kelley notified a friend of hers who worked for the FBI of the emails, and he referred the case to a cyber crimes unit.
That agent was later banned from the FBI's investigation into the source of the emails when officials discovered that he was sending shirtless photographs to Kelley and seemed to become 'obsessed' with the case, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Kelley, 37, is a volunteer who organizes social events for military families in the Tampa area.
Kelley's husband, Dr. Scott Kelley, is a highly sought-after surgeon who specializes in a rare type of minimally invasive surgery to cure cancer of the esophagus.
She was a medical student at one point, but put her studies on hold to have a baby, according to 2003 story in the St. Petersburg Times.
She often hosts the events at her million-dollar home located only a couple of miles from MacDill Air Force base, where Allen served from July 2008 to June 2011.
Allen, a four-star Marine general, succeeded Petraeus as the top American commander in Afghanistan in July 2011.
A senior official told the Associated Press that 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails and other documents from Allen's communications with Kelley between 2010 and 2012 are under review.
He would not say whether they involved sexual matters or whether they are thought to include unauthorized disclosures of classified information.
He said he did not know whether Petraeus is mentioned in the emails.

Jealous: Broadwell sent Jill Kelley, far right, threatening emails warning her to stay away from Petraeus. Pictured with Kelley is her husband, Scott, and Holly Petraeus

HOW A CYBER TRAIL UNVEILED THE  PETRAEUS SCANDAL 

Jill Kelley began receiving harassing emails in May, according to two federal law enforcement officials.
They spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
The emails led Kelley to report the matter, eventually triggering the investigation that led Petraeus to resign as head of the intelligence agency.
FBI agents traced the alleged cyber harassment to Broadwell, the officials said, and discovered she was exchanging intimate messages with a private gmail account. Further investigation revealed the account belonged to Petraeus under an alias.
Petraeus and Broadwell apparently used a trick, known to terrorists and teenagers alike, to conceal their email traffic, one of the law enforcement officials said.
Rather than transmitting emails to the other's inbox, they composed at least some messages and instead of transmitting them, left them in a draft folder or in an electronic 'dropbox,' the official said.
Then the other person could log onto the same account and read the draft emails there.
This avoids creating an email trail that is easier to trace.

Kelley, 37, and her husband released a statement saying they have been friends with Petraeus and his family for more than five years and asked for privacy.
The FBI's decision to refer the Allen matter to the Pentagon rather than keep it itself, combined with Panetta's decision to allow Allen to continue as Afghanistan commander without a suspension, suggested strongly that officials viewed whatever happened as a possible infraction of military rules rather than a violation of federal criminal law.
Allen was Deputy Commander of Central Command, based in Tampa, prior to taking over in Afghanistan. He also is a veteran of the Iraq war.
The Allen investigation adds a new complication to an Afghan war effort that is at a particularly difficult juncture.
Allen had just provided Panetta with options for how many U.S. troops to keep in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led coalition's combat mission ends in 2014. And he was due to give Panetta a recommendation soon on the pace of U.S. troop withdrawals in 2013.
The war has been largely stalemated, with little prospect of serious peace negotiations with the Taliban and questions about the Afghan government's ability to handle its own security after 2014.
At a photo session with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard shortly after he arrived in Perth, Panetta was asked by a reporter whether Allen could remain an effective commander in Kabul while under investigation and he did not respond.

Successor: Allen last year took over from Petraeus as head of Western troops in Afghanistan

Career man: US General John Allen (left) and David Petraeus (centre) greet US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta (right) as he lands in Kabul in 2011

TIMELINE OF EVENTS UNFOLDING

Summer 2011
Affair between Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus' begins and ends four months later
May 2012- Jill Kelley complains to FBI friend of harassing emails - government official
Late summer - FBI establish emails come from Paula Broadwell, and that she has had an affair with David Petraeus - government official
21 Oct - FBI interview Ms Broadwell - government official
22-29 Oct - FBI interview Gen Petraeus - FBI official
6 Nov - FBI inform James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, of Petraeus affair. Mr Clapper speaks to Gen Petraeus

7 Nov - Mr Clapper informs White House
8 Nov - White House informs President Obama. He speaks to Gen Petraeus
9 Nov - President Obama accepts Gen Petraeus' resignation. Congressional committees informed
12 Nov - FBI searches Mrs Broadwell's home

Panetta said Obama was consulted and agreed that Allen's nomination to the NATO post should be put on hold.
When Allen was nominated in October, Obama said in a written statement: 'I have personally relied on his counsel and am grateful for his devotion to our national security and to the safety of the men and women with whom he serves. Under General Allen's command, we have made important progress towards our core goal of defeating Al Qaeda and ensuring they can never return to a sovereign Afghanistan.'
Allen was to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
Panetta said he asked committee leaders to delay that hearing.
Panetta also said he wants the Senate Armed Services Committee to act promptly on Obama's nomination of General Joseph Dunford to succeed Allen as commander in Afghanistan.
That nomination was made several weeks ago. Dunford's hearing is also scheduled for Thursday.
If Allen is prevented from eventually taking up the NATO position, Obama could be faced with yet another national security crisis, at the same time as he is having to fill vacancies at the CIA, State Department and possibly also the Department of Defense.