January 30, 2016
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has decided not to take any further action against David Petraeus, a former U.S. military commander and CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The short letter was sent by Stephen Hedger, the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, and the decision is in line with an Army review.
It was addressed to Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Senator John McCain and Senator Jack Reed, who had recently asked Carter not to take further action.
The Pentagon could have potentially sought to further reprimand Petraeus under military law.
In April, the retired four-star general was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine but was spared prison time after pleading guilty to mishandling classified information.
Petraeus, a counter-insurgency expert with a Princeton University doctorate, served stints as the top U.S. commander in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was once considered a possible vice presidential or presidential candidate.
He resigned from the CIA in 2012 after it was revealed that he was having an affair with his biographer, Army Reserve officer Paula Broadwell.
The Pentagon declined to comment.