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Woman targeted by Petraeus' then-lover wants privacy

By: CBS News
Updated: November 12, 2012
WASHINGTON As questions swirl about the extramarital affair that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, the retired general and his biographer, Paula Broadwell, have been quiet about details of their relationship.

However, information has emerged about the woman who received the emails from Broadwell that led to the FBI's discovery of Petraeus' indiscretion.

CBS News has confirmed that the second woman is Jill Kelley, 37, who lives in Tampa, Fla.

The Associated Press reports she serves as an unpaid social liaison to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, where the military's Central Command and Special Operations Command are located.

CBS News has learned that Petraeus told friends he was not romantically involved with Kelley and only saw her when she was with her husband, Scott. Law enforcement officials say they've found no evidence to refute that, and describe Kelley as a victim who received and reported threatening messages.

In a statement Sunday, Jill and Scott Kelley said, "We and our family have been friends with Gen. Petraeus and his family for over five years. We respect his and his family's privacy and want the same for us and our three children."

The FBI uncovered evidence of the affair between Petraeus and Broadwell after Broadwell sent harassing messages to another woman Broadwell thought was too close to Petraeus. That woman turned out to be Kelley, sources say.

They add that Kelley took her complaints to the FBI several months ago. That led the FBI to examine Broadwell's email account and eventually discover her relationship with Petraeus.

The FBI then contacted Petraeus and other intelligence officials, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, acting as a "friend, colleague, and fellow general officer," on election night urged Petraeus to resign, U.S. officials confirm to CBS News.

Some close to Petraeus say he's told them the affair with Broadwell began about two months after he took over the Central Intelligence Agency in September 2011, and the affair ended about four months.

Friends of Petraeus say he described the trysts with Broadwell as "infrequent," and he said he never pursued her after the affair ended.

Law enforcement officials stress Kelley is in no trouble. In fact, the entire FBI investigation is likely to end with no one being charged with a crime. The FBI investigation in the end found only a personal affair, and no concerns about national security.

The Petraeus news caught much of Washington by surprise, and members of Congress said Sunday they want to know more details about the FBI investigation.

They questioned when the retired general popped up in the FBI inquiry, whether national security was compromised and why they weren't told sooner.

"We received no advanced notice. It was like a lightning bolt," Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Petraeus, 60, quit Friday after acknowledging the extramarital relationship. He has been married 38 years to Holly Petraeus, with whom he has two adult children, including a son who led an infantry platoon in Afghanistan as an Army lieutenant.

Broadwell, a 40-year-old graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and an Army Reserve officer, is married with two young sons.

Petraeus' affair with Broadwell will be the subject of meetings Wednesday involving congressional intelligence committee leaders, FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce and CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell.

Petraeus had been scheduled to appear before congressional committees Thursday to testify about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Morell is now expected to testify in place of Petraeus, and lawmakers said he should have the answers to their questions.

But Feinstein and others didn't rule out the possibility that Congress will compel Petraeus to testify about Benghazi at a later date, even though he's relinquished his job.

An FBI official told the AP the congressional committees weren't informed until Friday because the matter started as a criminal investigation into harassing emails sent by Broadwell to Kelley.

Concerned that the emails he exchanged with Broadwell raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Petraeus directly, according to the official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

Petraeus decided to quit even though he was breaking no laws by having an affair, officials said.

Staffers for Petraeus said Kelley and her husband were regular guests at events he held at Central Command headquarters.

A U.S. official told the AP the coalition countries represented at Central Command gave Kelley an appreciation certificate on which she was referred to as an "honorary ambassador" to the coalition, but she has no official status and is not employed by the U.S. government.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the case publicly, said Kelley is known to drop the "honorary" part and refer to herself as an ambassador.

2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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