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David Petraeus shared some of the most classified docs in the government with his lover and biographer, which is a top crime. He got a slap on the wrist. DC tra

David Petraeus shared some of the most classified docs in the government with his lover and biographer, which is a top crime. He got a slap on the wrist. DC trades on classified info leaks. I'm unsure specifically what this officer had and did with it, but observably prosecution of classified info breaches is entirely selective and political.

seanhunter 3y ago
Not super au-fait with this, but I think the person he shared the info with was already a Lt Col[1] in the reserves and so had some clearence already. That doesn't make it ok but significantly reduces the severity of the breach depending on how the documents were used. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Broadwell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Broadwell
- mrangle 3y ago
  What is your legal reasoning for a lesser clearance significantly reducing the severity of the breach? Petraeus was charged because of the severity of the breach. If the breach wasn't severe, someone like Petraeus would not be charged. The takeaway is how light he got off compared to anyone out-of-favor or politically insignificant. The wiki only glosses over the classified materials exchange in question with a single sentence. Here's a better summary: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/03/david-petraeus-pleads-guilty-classified-information-paula-broadwell https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/03/david-petrae... "The plea deal establishes that Petraeus shared “black books” with Broadwell with “classified information regarding the identities of covert officers, war strategy, intelligence capabilities and mechanisms, diplomatic discussions, quotes and deliberative discussions from high-level National Security Council meetings, and defendant David Howell Petraeus’s discussions with the President of the United States of America”. There isn't a grade to oopsies with clearances and classified info. Either it's a breach or it isn't. I've read Petraeus's breach being considered legally worse than Snowden's, given what was disclosed. To my prior point, prosecutors make prosecution decisions in regard to classified info selectively and politically. In addition to selectively meting punishment.
  - seanhunter 3y ago
    That's pretty terrible. I hadn't realised quite how bad the breach was. Seems incredibly unfair to have got off so lightly.

seanhunter 3y ago

Not super au-fait with this, but I think the person he shared the info with was already a Lt Col[1] in the reserves and so had some clearence already. That doesn't make it ok but significantly reduces the severity of the breach depending on how the documents were used. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Broadwell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Broadwell

mrangle 3y ago
What is your legal reasoning for a lesser clearance significantly reducing the severity of the breach? Petraeus was charged because of the severity of the breach. If the breach wasn't severe, someone like Petraeus would not be charged. The takeaway is how light he got off compared to anyone out-of-favor or politically insignificant. The wiki only glosses over the classified materials exchange in question with a single sentence. Here's a better summary: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/03/david-petraeus-pleads-guilty-classified-information-paula-broadwell https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/03/david-petrae... "The plea deal establishes that Petraeus shared “black books” with Broadwell with “classified information regarding the identities of covert officers, war strategy, intelligence capabilities and mechanisms, diplomatic discussions, quotes and deliberative discussions from high-level National Security Council meetings, and defendant David Howell Petraeus’s discussions with the President of the United States of America”. There isn't a grade to oopsies with clearances and classified info. Either it's a breach or it isn't. I've read Petraeus's breach being considered legally worse than Snowden's, given what was disclosed. To my prior point, prosecutors make prosecution decisions in regard to classified info selectively and politically. In addition to selectively meting punishment.
- seanhunter 3y ago
  That's pretty terrible. I hadn't realised quite how bad the breach was. Seems incredibly unfair to have got off so lightly.