WASHINGTON, November 15 (RIA Novosti) - Former American spy chief David Petraeus has insisted that he did not pass on classified information to his biographer, Paula Broadwell, with whom he engaged in an extramarital affair that led to his resignation last week, CNN reported Thursday.
But federal investigators this week found substantial classified information on a computer they seized from Broadwell’s home, enough to warrant an investigation, Reuters cited law enforcement and national security officials as saying Wednesday.
Petraeus made the statement this week in a conversation with CNN reporter Kyra Phillips, who made public some of the details of their interview on Thursday. The interview had not been published or broadcast as of Thursday afternoon.
It was unclear exactly how Broadwell may have obtained the sensitive information. As a reserve military intelligence officer, she did have access to some classified information. The Pentagon on Wednesday suspended Broadwell’s security clearance.
US President Barack Obama told a news conference on Wednesday that he had “no evidence” that classified information was leaked amid the sex scandal that “would have a negative impact on our national security.”
Petraeus resigned as director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) last Friday after news of his affair with Broadwell became public. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered the relationship while investigating threatening, anonymous emails Broadwell allegedly sent to a woman she perceived as a rival for Petraeus’ affections.
Petraeus is set to testify Friday behind closed doors to the US House of Representatives’ intelligence committee about the deadly Sept. 11 attack on a US embassy compound in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead, including the US ambassador to the country, Christopher Stevens.
