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.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/petraeus-set-to-plead-guilty-to-mishandling-classified-materials/2015/04/22/3e6dbf20-e8f5-11e4-aae1-d642717d8afa_story.html?hpid=z2

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/23/us-usa-petraeus-idUSKBN0NE15520150423?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/david-petraeus-to-be-sentenced-in-leak-investigation.html?_r=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Petraeus

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/federal-prosecutors-urge-severe-sentence-for-ex-cia-agent-in-leak-case/2015/04/21/4c8d1f5e-c001-4757-9b2a-50adf23b8d3c_story.html

https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/04/petraeus-snowden-and-the-department-of-two-tiered-justice/

Copyright 2015 Martin P. All World Rights Expressly Reserved

BREAKING NEWS: Four Star General David Petraeus Charges Referred By FBI To Department of Justice For Federal Criminal Prosecution For General Petraeus' Disclosure Of Classified Information While Serving As CIA Director

       Saturday, 10 January 2015, WASHINGTON, D.C. - The FBI just has referred charges against Four Star General David Petraeus to the Department of Justice for federal criminal prosecution for disclosure of classified information in his capacity as Director of the CIA. The charges include allegations of his disclosure of classified information which Mr. Petraeus allegedly passed to his mistress Paula Broadwell while Petraeus was serving as Director of the CIA including from his in-house personal CIA computer.
       The married General Petraeus previously was found by an internal CIA investigation to have used his personal CIA office computer protected by only by a very weak password (such as e.g, named after his dog "Spot") itself in violation of CIA policy to have spent his time exchanging romantic emails with Patricia Broadwell with whom Petraeus was having an affair. Petraeus upon disclosure of this activity was either fired or forced to resign as CIA Director.
        The present CIA Director John Brennan among other things has been found to have ordered and/or conspired to commit acts of torture illegal under U.S. law and signatory international treaties and conventions the investigation of which Brennan and his CIA repeatedly have sought to obstruct by destroying and withholding evidence, claiming non-existent privileges seeking to impede and disrupt the investigation, lying to Congress and making false criminal charges against those sought with overseeing CIA activities which has turned out to be most likely a subterfuge while in fact Brennan and his CIA meanwhile actually have been hacking the computers of those on the Senate Intelligence Committee sought with CIA oversight among myriad other apparent criminal acts.
       Mr. Brennan to date is still in office as CIA Director and not yet in prison for these illegal activities. He may also be responsible for the probable murder of Rolling Stones investigative reporter Michael Hastings most likely through a cyber car attack as related in a previous recent Ninth Amendment post. Michael Hastings was responsible previously for reporting on the contempt expressed by General Stanley McChrystal and his senior aides in days spent with them making derogatory remarks about their Commander-In-Chief upon the publication of which General McChyrstal's military career effectively came to an end much as his senior four star General Petraeus' has following his complete lack of discretion in using his personal CIA computer with totally inadequate password to make love talk with his mistress while supposedly directing the affairs of the CIA.
       At the time of Mr. Hastings untimely death in a very suspicious single car accident a nearby video caught his Mercedes traveling at over one hundred miles per hour and swerving toward a tree before exploding in an horrific fireball which appeared to erupt before Hastings' car even hit the tree. Mr. Hastings on the day of his death had sent out frantic emails to all friends lacking his usual friendly salutations but expressing fear allegedly that "the FBI was following him". Later that day he was seen looking under his car before telling his wife that he was "on to something really big". Before he could tell anyone what that was Mr. Hastings was dead with his next investigative story scheduled to come out in just two weeks on CIA Director John Brennan. Although Rolling Stone announced it still would run Hasting's investigative report on Mr. Brennan on the originally scheduled date Rolling Stone in fact without explanation did not and never has subsequently.
        Meanwhile the FBI further just now as related above has charged former CIA Director Petraeus with the above-described disclosure of confidential information pursuant to the earlier CIA internal investigation following which President Obama either fired or forced the resignation of Petraeus as CIA Director. With the newly leveled FBI charges referred to the Department of Justice four star General Petraeus reportedly now holds the ignominious distinction of being the highest ranking U.S. military official ever found to have been charged with criminal behavior of anywhere approaching such a serious magnitude.
        To sum up General Petraeus served previously as Supreme Commander of United States and coalition forces over the entire Middle Eastern theater.  Petraeus now facing possible indictment in his previous military position was senior to the later disgraced General Stanley McChrystal who as commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan was fired or forced to resign by President Obama in the wake of the publication of the almost certainly later murdered Rolling Stone reporter's account of his time spent with General McChrystal and his senior aides in which General Petraeus and his senior staff reportedly repeatedly made derogatory comments about their Commander-In-Chief President Barack Obama.
       It is not known to the Ninth Amendment editorial board why the earlier CIA internal investigation did not result in CIA Director Petraeus' prosecution for passing of confidential information to Patricia Broadwell. Typically such an "internal" executive agency investigation would be performed by the agency's in this case CIA Inspector General (IG) who does not report to anyone in the CIA but to a separate and distinct IG hierarchy of outside officials.
       Should that have been the case at hand it is not known why the IG would not itself have passed on to the Department of Justice ifs findings presumably encompassing the disclosure of confidential information to Patricia Broadwell. The CIA certainly when it does not wish to pass on information which might implicate it or support the case for the imprisonment of its officials or operatives has not hesitated quite broadly to assert the "defense" of it being confidential information especially of some sort putting persons or operations at serious risk if disclosed thereby making the veracity of the claim nearly impossible to gauge in real time even though the CIA by law is required to pass on such information to its overseers who themselves are expected to be just as capable as the CIA of keeping confidential information confidential.
       In fact in the current case of the release by the Senate Intelligence Committee of a merely redacted  summary of the CIA's responsibility for the illegal use of torture in the so-called "Torture Report" the CIA has without hesitation sought to make claims of "confidential" information not to mention fabricating a variety of other made up other non-existent privileges. Not to mention the CIA becoming virtually apoplectic at the prospect of the release of the so-called CIA "Panetta Report" rumored not only to detail much more damning inhumane illegal CIA torture and possibly other activities but further exposing that the CIA has repeatedly lied to Congress.
       The editorial board of the Ninth Amendment just recently had occasion to learn from a Western al-Qaeda Yemen "recruit" the reason for his seemingly unthinkable decision that apparently hundreds or not thousands of Western recruits are making to join the ranks of al-Qaeda or ISIS. The prospect of joining either group appears to be very grim indeed. Yet the media pundits and "experts" now speak incessantly of the once esoteric but now commonplace explanation of "self-radicalization" being a major factor in recruitment. However the Western man the Ninth Amendment editorial board just recently heard offered neither the justification of a religious zealot or one caught up in some delusion of glory in joining one of these groups committing untold atrocities in some of the last places on Earth one would wish to live.
       All the young man referred to as his justification for seeking to join one of these terrorist groups was as a response to his hatred of the CIA's criminal use of torture. Has it ever occurred to the CIA that keeping human beings imprisoned in horrid conditions uncharged and with no known release date while seemingly to them abusing them randomly at will torturing them at any time might be enough to make just about anyone even if they had not before hated Americans and the West as they have never hated before and in fact become "radicalized by CIA"? The CIA's torture "program" in the opinion of the Ninth Amendment editorial board has served no purpose based on credible sources but to perpetuate terrorism and keep terrorists supplied with an unending stream of recruits as the CIA has proceeded in absolute contravention of all the core principles embodied in the United States Constitution and worthy of a fascist state. The CIA's use of criminal torture is no secret any longer to the American people and never was to terrorist groups who received detailed reports of CIA torture from "detainees" who were released from CIA custody.
       Finally the Ninth Amendment finds it curious that in the wake of the internal CIA investigation of Director Petraeus rather than the CIA IG it has ended up being the FBI that has referred charges against the CIA official rather than the IG provided that that is presumably within the purview of the IG. More broadly the Ninth Amendment must query if this means it would be the FBI charged with the task of taking into custody and charging CIA officials and operatives should that become necessary provided the CIA officials if facing the prospect of going to prisons so much more humane than their own will nevertheless go down shooting. On another front the Ninth Amendment has been somewhat confounded by the swift conclusion drawn by the FBI that North Korea was responsible for the Sony "The Interview' hack. This given the volume of illegal IT information unlawfully amassed by the NSA and its presumably top-notch cyber experts, not to mention the CIA's for that matter which agency if any would be expected to be in a turf war with the NSA over taking charge in cyber investigations.
       In the realm of the acronymed "National Security" and law enforcement agencies could we be seeing a turf war breaking out with the somewhat sleeping FBI now emerging as taking a leading role considering that the CIA by law if not practice is restricted to overseas rather than domestic activities and as for the NSA who knows it would seem it has become a rogue agency somewhat distastefully turned to by others considering the stink attached to it but whose mission seems to be anyone's to guess but mostly to use the latest technologies to devise the latest way to break national and international laws with abandon.

Copyright 2015 Martin P. All World Rights Expressly Reserved