US Judge considers unsealing court file in CIA sex scandal case

The US Judge who was in charge in the lawsuit against the federal government over leaks in the investigation which led to the resignation of former CIA director David Petraeus is giving the Department of Justice until Friday to ask her to keep confidential any court records that were involved in the case.

International Business Times reported that Jilly Kelley told the FBI in 2012 that she had received harassing emails. Officials found out that Paula Broadwell was the one behind them and that she and the CIA director were involved in a sexual relationship. As the top commander of the International Security Assistance Force based in Afghanistan, Petraeus gave Broadwell documents that are full of classified information. Petraeus then resigned and was put on probation for two years, including a fine of $100,000 for pleading guilty to sharing classified information.

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson noted a 2001 decision made by an appellate court claiming a strong presumption in favor of public access to a judicial proceeding. The justice did not indicate when will the order material be released to the public or rule in any objections, reports ABC News.

The case included files from FBI and deposition testimony about or from US government officials as David Petreaus; former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta; Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson; Marine Gen. John R. Allen; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aide Phillipe Reines; former Pentagon and CIA press secretary George Little; Defense Secretary Ashton Carter; and other journalists who were formally interrogated as part of the lawsuit.

In 2013, Jilly Kelley of Tampa, Florida filed a lawsuit against the government, alleging officials violated the US Privacy Act by disclosing information about them during the FBI's probe of Petraeus. According to Daily Mail, Kelley filed court papers telling she objected to the release of files that include copies of an email she sent to her legal team, which she insisted should remain privileged.

Kelley told the judge that she and her husband, Scott, believe that the strong presumption in favor of public access mandates that all documents should be opened.

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US, opening court file, david petraeus sex scandal, Paula Broadwell, us government scandal, unsealed documents, CIA, Sex Scandal, Jilly Kelley, Justice Department

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