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The newspaper cited officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity. The Justice Department investigation focuses on
whether Petraeus gave the woman, Paula Broadwell, access to his
CIA email account and other highly classified information. The
Times said officials have recommended felony charges.
The recommendations leave U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder with
a decision to make on whether to seek an indictment against
Petraeus, who quit his CIA post in 2012 after the extramarital
affair became publicly known. Petraeus also is one of the
leading U.S. military commanders in recent times, having served
as commander of American forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Times reported that Petraeus has indicated to the Justice
Department that he has no interest in a plea deal that would
enable him to avoid a trial. Petraeus has said he did not
provide classified information to Broadwell, who was writing his
biography at the time of the affair.
A spokesman for Petraeus, Steve Boylan, said the retired general
had no comment. A lawyer for Petraeus, Robert Barnett, declined
comment.
U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona, a leading Republican voice
on national security issues and an ally of Petraeus, in December
sent a letter to Holder expressing concern about the Justice
Department’s handling of the investigation.
"I cannot ignore the broader concerns raised by the fact that
this investigation apparently remains unresolved nearly two
years later and that the only information that has come to light
is through leaks by unnamed sources within the U.S. intelligence
community with knowledge of the matter," McCain said in the
letter.
An FBI spokesman declined comment on the Times report. A Justice
Department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Additional reporting by Warren
Strobel; Editing by Eric Beech)
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