Paula Broadwell is finally breaking her silence over her affair with former CIA director and retired Gen. David Petraeus because she says she wants to reclaim her “own narrative” and career.
“Sometimes it’s better to remain silent. I’ve had that philosophy for the last five years,” Broadwell said on “CBS This Morning” Thursday in her first television since the 2012 scandal. “But I’ve reached a point where I feel like, ‘You know what? I need to fight back for my life.’”
Broadwell, a former military intelligence officer and biographer, admitted to having an extramarital affair with Petraeus, whom she met while researching a book on his life. Petraeus, who is reportedly being considered by President-elect Donald Trump for secretary of state, later admitted he shared classified information with Broadwell. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in April 2015 for mishandling classified information, receiving two years’ probation and a $100,000 fine.
“Five years ago I made a very serious mistake,” Petraeus said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday. “I acknowledged it. I apologized for it. I paid a very heavy price for it. And I’ve learned from it.”
Court documents in the case show that he turned over a black book of highly classified “code word” documents — including the identity of covert officers and notes of National Security Council meetings — to Broadwell, though none of that information wound up her Petraeus biography, “All In.” Broadwell was demoted and lost her top secret security clearance, but she was never charged with a crime.
Broadwell said it was “a bit of a shocker” to learn that Petraeus is being considered for secretary of state, but would not say whether she thought he should be allowed to serve in a top-level post in the Trump administration.
