The plot surrounding the resignation of CIA chief David Petraeus over an extramarital affair thickened yesterday amid reports that his alleged lover had sent e-mails to a second woman she viewed as a threat to her love interest.
The affair came to light as the FBI was investigating whether a computer used by Petraeus — a married father of two — had been compromised, the New York Times and other US media reported, citing government officials.
NBC News and other media reported the FBI was focusing on Paula Broadwell, co-author of a favorable biography of Petraeus, for possible improper access to classified information.
Unnamed officials told the Times that Petraeus’ lover was Broadwell, a former Army major who spent long periods interviewing Petraeus for her book.
Broadwell, who is married herself and has two small children, offered no public comment on the revelations.
The Times and the Washington Post, citing an official briefed on the case, reported on Saturday that the probe had been triggered by “harassing” e-mails sent by Broadwell to an unidentified second woman.
The recipient of the e-mails was so frightened, the Post reported, that she went to the FBI for protection and to help track down the sender.
According to the Post, the second woman did not work at the CIA and her relationship with Petraeus remains unclear.
However, the e-mails indicated that Broadwell perceived her as a threat to her relationship with the top spymaster, the paper said.
While Obama praised Petraeus as he acknowledged his departure, there was no denying it added to his headache over the makeup of his future administration, already expected to lose heavyweights such as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Obama had no inkling Petraeus was about to leave until Thursday morning and refused to accept his resignation straight away, the New York Times reported.
“He was surprised, and he was disappointed,” the Times quoted one senior administration official as saying. “You don’t expect to hear that the Thursday after you were re-elected.”
According to the paper, White House officials were only informed of the matter late on Wednesday, a day after the election.
A senior intelligence official told the Times that US director of national intelligence James Clapper learned of the situation on Tuesday and had told Petraeus that “the right thing to do” would be to resign.
As he heads into his second term, Obama will likely have to replace not only Clinton, but also Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
Speculation is already rife about who will succeed Clinton, who has stressed she wants to reclaim a private life put on hold by decades in the spotlight.
Now, adding to the rumor mill is talk of who might follow in the footsteps of Petraeus, a 60-year-old former paratrooper credited with turning around the Iraq war.
His deputy, Michael Morell, will serve as acting CIA director, and is expected to fill in for Petraeus at an upcoming congressional hearing about the CIA’s alleged failure to protect a US consulate in Libya from a deadly Sept. 11 attack that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
One name being floated as a possible Petraeus replacement is John Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism adviser and a CIA veteran who has played an instrumental role in Obama’s drone war against al-Qaeda militants.
Others, according to the Wall Street Journal, include Michael Vickers, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, and Representative Michael Rogers, a Republican who heads the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
“It needs to be someone who has a lot of credibility... and doesn’t have a partisan reputation,” Georgetown University professor Stephen Wayne said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source