Politics, Petraeus & The Pentagon: Scandal Now Involves Former Naval Academy Official
WASHINGTON (WJZ) --Another top-ranking military official is under investigation in the scandal that brought down the head of the CIA.
Mary Bubala reports Maryland has a strong tie to this one as General John Allen started his military career in Annapolis.
General John Allen once walked among midshipmen in Annapolis. Now the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is linked to the scandal involving former CIA director David Petraeus.
Federal investigators are looking into inappropriate email communications between Allen and Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. She sparked the investigation over threatening emails that the FBI traced to Petraeus' mistress, Paula Broadwell.
Allen was in line to take over as head of U.S. forces in Europe and become NATO's Supreme Allied Commander.
So far, it's been a stellar military career that began in Maryland. Allen is a 1976 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Twenty-six years later, he was named commandant of the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in Annapolis from January 2002 until September 2003.
Now, he is defending his honor.
"General Allen is entitled to due process in this matter," said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little.
The latest investigation centers on 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails and documents from Allen's communication with Kelley.
In 2003, WJZ spoke with Allen on Induction Day.
"We put them under stress, we give them objectives, we give them missions that they can only accomplish if they work as a team," he said.
General Allen and General Petraeus were a team in the war on terror until Petraeus resigned Friday and admitted to the extramarital affair. His former aide says he is extremely resourceful.
"He said in those words, `I screwed up. What I did was wrong. There are no excuses for it,'" said former Petraeus aide Col. Peter Mansoor.
Paula Broadwell hasn't been seen since the scandal broke. Monday night, FBI agents searched her North Carolina home. They left carrying several boxes of documents.
General Allen is in Washington, D.C., preparing for his Senate confirmation hearings, which were originally scheduled for Thursday. That nomination has now been put on hold.
Allen has denied wrongdoing and could face military charges if the investigation uncovers a sexual affair.
