I Blackmailed General Petraeus

 

 

Well now that I have your full attention...  I didn't actually blackmail either Petraeus or his mistress, Paula Broadwell or anyone who may have been covering for him, but you'll just never know for sure...

You see that is the point. The military, and US governmental agencies issuing security clearances take adultery very seriously because it provides a very great danger to blackmail, and the most common way that foreign spies compromise holders of security clearances with access to Secret and Top-secret information. This truly is the oldest trick in the book. Once a person with access to secret information is compromised through elicit affairs or other acts they would wish to keep secret they are vulnerable to blackmail to pass on secrets, ignore or destroy pertinent intelligence, or to act in other ways detrimental to the security of the people they are entrusted to protect. For this simple reason adultery, and other compromising activities are actually criminal offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and also in civilian statutes regarding US Security personnel. The issue is not so much when such are discovered but the time that they are compromised before discovery.

Though the refrain: "Loose Lips Sink Ships" is well known, it really is not so much loose lips as loose-zippers that really sink ships.

Before you go on rolling your eyes at my "conspiracy theory" understand that I held a top-secret security clearance in the Navy. I know and understand what I am describing here not from reading some spy novel or conspiracy website, but rather, firsthand.  We had this drilled into us emphatically and repeatedly before and while holding such clearance. We were clearly informed in no uncertain terms that such behaviour by us could and WOULD result in criminal action, demotion, imprisonment, and Bad Conduct or even Dishonorable Discharge. It was, and is, a VERY serious offense to place oneself, and US security interests in such jeopardy. We were further told that, far from an unlikely scenario such had played itself out many times in our nations history.

So do we know if Petraeus gave up any US Secrets, or otherwise acted counter to our security interests as a result of blackmail while his affair was yet undiscovered?  We realistically will, or may never know. He may have done so and covered his tracks sufficiently to avoid detection. He certainly has no incentive to admit to such and change his status from simple "Horn-dog" to "Traitor." Even if he was discovered the details of such can easily be declared top-secret for political or "security" reasons and never released to the public.

And it is not just Petraeus that is subject to such potential compromise. It has already been reported that Petraeus' mistress, a reserve military officer herself, was found to have unauthorized secret documents on her computer, from as yet undisclosed sources. She too has/had a marriage and military career to protect, and likewise is subject to the same consequences as the General. If that alone does not make one cringe, among the several videos of Ms. Broadwell released just today is one of her blathering on at length about the extraordinary access she (his mistress) was granted to top-secret materials and briefings as his biographer. In this she goes on about her commitment to the integrity of her own security clearance with a straight face - while in violation of all of its laws, rules, and principles. If that alone does not give one pause it is also instructional that the nexus for the investigation that brought all of this to light was the threatening emails Ms. Broadwell sent to her percieved rival for the affections of the General. And we are now to believe this person was safe to entrust with access to top-secret materials as she was doing the General and threatening perceived rivals? If this is not a massive security breach it would be fascinating to see what is.

Thus it is likely that Ms. Broadwell is in for some very pointed questions and some interesting times ahead.

And will we ever learn the answers to those questions? Probably not.

At least those of you who did not blackmail them won't.