27 April 2015

UPDATED: Disgraced CIA "Love Note" Director Sentenced Former Four-Star General Petraeus Wrist Slapped For "Exceptionally Grave" National Security Breaches Raising Issue Of Impact If Edward J. Snowden Faces Prosecution

     Monday, 27 April 2015, NORFOK, VA - Former CIA Director previously Four-Star General David Petraeus who was removed as CIA chief by "resignation" tendered to President Obama three days after Obama's 2012 re-election following an F.B.I. what originated as a cyberstalking investigation during which Petraeus lied to F.B.I. agents revealed that Petraeus was using his official CIA computer apparently protected with a password equivalent to the name of his family pet to communicate via a "drafts" folder in his e-mail account love notes to his biographer cum mistress Patricia Broadwell which included classified "top-secret" CIA materials in addition to Petraeus physically giving Broadwell and recording conversations with her about "black notebooks that contained sensitive information about official meetings, war strategy and intelligence capabilities" last week after admitting to numerous crimes which presumably might have landed him life in prison was handed a misdemeanor probation sentence and fine for disclosing "classified information".
     The Justice Department said the black notebooks Petraeus gave his biographer cum lover Broadwell contained "top-secret information" and if disclosed could cause "exceptionally grave" damage to national security which information contained the code words for secret intelligence programs in addition to compromising the identities of covert officers and also war strategies and deliberative discussions with the National Security Council. When discussing and later handing over the books to his biographer-lover Broadwell then CIA Director Petraeus emphasized to Broadwell they were "highly classified". F.B.I. agents in 2013 found the top-secret notebooks and information in an unlocked drawer in Petraeus' home study.
     When Petraues last week was handed the misdemeanor plea sentence it was so laughably light that in addition to being a "disappointing one to F.B.I. agents" including for not the least of which having been lied to to obstruct their investigation even federal Federal Magistrate Judge David Keesler while sentencing Petraeus to hypocrite Attorney General's Holder's parting gift of no prison time but just two years probation felt required at the very least to more than double Petraeus' plea fine to $100,000 reportedly without elaborating beyond that it was "necessary because of the seriousness of the offense" after earlier in the hearing none of the lawyers present could provide any rational basis whatsoever to the Court for Petraeus' proposed original $40,000 plea fine.
     Perhaps most notably in Petraeus' military career he served as Commander of the Central Command (USCENTCOM) including overseeing the theaters of operations if Aghanistan and the Middle East. Petraeus later took the apparent step down to command U.S. and ISAF forces in Afghanistan to replace General Stanley McChrystal who in 2010 abruptly was recalled from his command by President Obama who accepted his resignation after the publication by Rolling Stone magazine of reporter Michael Hastings' article in which General McChrystal and top aides were quoted as repeatedly strongly disrespecting and expressing a lack of confidence in their Commander-In-Chief Obama and other administration officials as has been reported in previous posts here.
     Reporter Michael Hastings later was killed in June 2013 under highly suspicious circumstances in a single car accident involving the explosion of his new Mercedes one week before Rolling Stone was to publish a Michael Hastings article on CIA murderer Director John Brennan which article Rolling Stone said it nevertheless was going forward with publishing but never in fact did. The death of Michael Hastings also has been covered in previous posts here including a video captured of Mr. Hastings' car inexplicably travelling at great speed through a downtown business district other than under alleged remote "cyber control" before equally otherwise inexplicably swerving directly toward a tree and appearing clearly to explode in a tremendous fireball before actual contact with the tree killing Hastings instantly.
     Petraeus reputedly at least according to The Washington Post "one of the greatest military minds of his generation" apparently failed for an extended period to apply that greatest of minds to national intelligence and security matters. Although General Petraeus by stock mainstream media accounts served the United States with distinction throughout his military career on further (not too deep) investigation starting for example with the linked to below Wikekpedia article especially in the section "Criticism After 2012 Scandal" it is apparent that serious questions as to his integrity including regarding his receipt of various military medals and honors since have been raised by others including other military officers with whom Petraeus has served. Petraeus formerly was "a vocal advocate" in cases of others besides himself being prosecuted and meted out tough punishments for disclosing "classified" information which punishments those others have received including as reported previously here.
     Readers interested in more information about the above can go to any of the news links below and/or to the below linked Wikepedia article referenced above for more biographical information about Petraeus and his military career as well as more recent concerns and controversies that have been raised in the past few years about Petraeus' military career.
     [UPDATE] The extreme leniency of the sentence of Petraeus has raised obvious speculation about what the consequences Mr. Edward J. Snowden according to his attorney currently under investigation by the Department of Justice may face if and when tried for the alleged disclosure of national security secrets to the press concerning the N.S.A. unconstitutional domestic mass surveillance and metadata collection practices which additionally unlike Petraeus' disclosures have inarguably not only had great positive value in fueling a more (or at all) informed most important national debate which may not otherwise even have existed and which undoubtedly has influenced federal judges in decisions especially regarding citizens' technology privacy issues and most significantly have been vital indeed imperative in greatly informing the current national debate at the highest levels of all three branches of government at a time of decision-making of paramount importance because of Snowden's disclosures' undeniable impact on the judiciary, executive policy and decision-makers, and lawmakers in their assessment and actions taken regarding provisions of the so-called "Patriot Act" set to expire and potential legislation such as the "Freedom Act" as well as possibly other legislation attempting to deal in a now greatly more informed governmental discourse rooted in the tensions of the realities of potentialities of modern technology weighed against the enduring and essential values upon which this country has been rooted and relied for its innate security of continuity and endurance for nearly two and one half centuries.
     The uncertainties and concerns regarding iniquities in Mr. Snowden's plight in light of former General Petraeus' sentencing and its possible impact on Mr. Snowden is addressed in a Foreign Policy article added by his attorney added as a link below both of which matters further are related to the closely watched case of convicted former CIA officer Jeffrey A. Sterling originally scheduled for sentencing on what potentially quite fortunately for Sterling turned out to be the day after Petraeus shockingly received just probation and a fine for "gravely" compromising and endangering national security with Sterling's sentencing for espionage for a leak to New York Times reporter now continued to a Monday, 11 May 2015 hearing for which referenced which article interested readers can go to the final link added below. Mr. Snowden currently is living in exile in Russia with any communication with U.S. officials regarding the consequences of his return to the U.S. currently unknown. Readers interested in Mr. Sterling's case in addition to referring to the earlier post in the Ninth Amendment with link can go to the fourth link added below. Readers interested in the above-referenced article by the attorney for Mr. Snowden and several other alleged federal whistle-blowers can go to the fifth link added below.




Copyright 2015 Martin P. All World Rights Expressly Reserved

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