The investigation began as early as May. Mueller and Holder probably knew for months.

[morningfog]

Time to clean house, er, Cabinet.

[yardwork]

1. Get rid of the Republicans. Appoint loyal Democrats who are on our team.

[Honeycombe8]

4. Isn't Holder a Democrat? Don't know if he has a duty to inform the W.H. of a criminal investigation

involving a lover of the CIA Director. The W.H. isn't supposed to control CRIMINAL investigations.

The DOJ and the White House are not one and the same. The W H is supposed to stay out of DOJ specific cases.

[morningfog]

7. The AG is part of Obama's Cabinet. Obama should have been told.

This has already gone farther than a simple affair.

[Live and Learn]

10. Hmm, maybe we should wait until we really know what happened.

I am sure there are many more sordid details to emerge.

[morningfog]

11. We already know it should have gone to Obama.

We have plenty to know that more need to be fired.

[Live and Learn]

22. Like Obama, I prefer to wait til all the facts are out. nt

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

23. I believe that Honeycombe8 is correct.

[morningfog]

24. THe WH is not supposed to control specific criminal cases.

That is not what I am suggesting. The AG does work for the WH though and that head of the CIA was caught in an affair and that the mistress had classified information on her computer should have been passed on to Obama.

[Honeycombe8]

25. No. The W. H. is not allowed to get involved in DOJ cases. Especially when it involves a cabinet

appointment person (Petraeus). Otherwise, the risk is that the W.H. would try to influence the matter.

It is not the norm to brief the W.H. on criminal matters of the FBI or the DOJ, I think.

[morningfog]

30. Being briefed on a major political story and possibly security threat is

different than being involved. He should have been told.

[riderinthestorm]

8. They discovered she had classified info on her personal computer in September

At the least, this became a security issue when she turned that over. Well beyond a simple criminal investigation...

http://www.businessinsider.com/classified-documents-paula-broadwell-2012-11

'Well, it turns out that during the FBI's investigation, the bureau did find classified documents on Broadwell's computer, reports the Wall Street Journal.

In September, the FBI began to do a legal analysis to see if there were any charges that could be brought. They decided to interview Broadwell.

During her first interview, she admitted that she was having an affair with Petraeus and gave up her computer to the investigators.

On it, they found classified documents.

Petraeus was interviewed too, and he admitted to the affair as well. However, he said that he did not provide Broadwell with those classified documents. Broadwell echoed Petraeus' claims in her next interview with investigators in early November."

[Live and Learn]

9. You have it all correct. At least, that is what I believe to be true. nt

[yardwork]

13. I think that Holder is a Democrat. I question his loyalty, though.

I meant get rid of the Republicans and all disloyal Democrats.

[DURHAM D]

16. We don't know when Holder was told.

When this broke last week the news reports said that Holder had just found out. Perhaps that has changed but I don't know.

So far this is a fact free thread.

[yardwork]

18. LOL! So far this is a fact-free story - just media reports of investigations, but no evidence.

I wonder what the FBI is doing in Charlotte this evening ransacking the Broadwell house. Or is it the FBI?

[DURHAM D]

21. Looking for a blue dress?

It has been reported that it is the FBI but who knows. The FBI already said that there was no criminal conduct so why would they go. I think it is Seal Team 6.

[Honeycombe8]

26. The version I heard on radio: Holder was told, then Cantor was told by his FBI friend.

Holder was told in his capacity as AG/DOJ, since the investigation had turned up possible criminal acts involving the fed (not criminal acts by Petraeus). Cantor was told in October, it has been reporter.

[DURHAM D]

27. That does not jive with the early reports.

There have been no criminal acts reported to date - just national security issues.

[Honeycombe8]

28. No. The FBI was investigating possible criminal acts by "anonymous" in sending threatening

emails to Kelly.

The FBI opened an investigation to find anonymous, who turned out to be Broadwell. Sending threatening emails is a crime...felony, I think.

In the investigation for that, they stumbled upon the Petraeus thing in Broadwell's email account. Then they looked at Petraeus' email account to see if he was being hacked or was in fact the one who exchanging sexy emails with Broadwell. They determined it was Petraeus and not an imposter. There was possibility of his email account being accessed without permission.

It was around this time they notified Holder...possible criminal acts involving federal dept.

That's what I got out of all the reports I've heard. But this story is developing quickly. I'm sure there's misinformation out there.

But it makes sense they notified Holder of possible criminal acts, since they were in fact investigating possible criminal acts.

[yardwork]

15. There was an FBI investigation. The FBI reports to Holder, who reports to the president.

The FBI head is appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. No FBI agent had any business talking to Eric Cantor, who is a Republican in the House of Representatives. It appears that the Republicans in Congress knew about the FBI investigation before the president. That is a violation of the chain of command.

[Honeycombe8]

29. True. Now we have ANOTHER scandal...what the heck was the FBI doing?

Why was the FBI involved in a criminal investigation that it did not know, to begin with, involved the CIA? Is that its job?

It's beginning to sound like Republicans were involved in some sort of gotcha. Like the Repubs that paid Paul Jones to sue Clinton for rape or whatever. The rape may or may not have happened. But the Repubs found out about the situation, and got her to cause trouble in the Clinton presidency.

I wouldn't put anything past these guys.

[yardwork]

31. I think that the Republicans got played by the CIA. Maybe the FBI did, too.

It looks to me like the CIA didn't like Petraeus being in charge and they figured out a way to get rid of him.

[Honeycombe8]

32. Well, Petraeus did that himself. Sounds more to me like the Repub FBI agent insisted on an

investigation, hoping to get Bengazi information or at least a link with Bengazi.

I doubt the CIA got rid of its Director, even if they didn't like him. People in those spy and military agencies often don't like the leader. They're used to it.

[Honeycombe8]

2. Who's Mueller? nt

[morningfog]

3. Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI.

[Schema Thing]

5. so?

why should their knowing about an affair have anything to do with their staying or leaving office?

[morningfog]

6. They can't be trusted. There are plenty of other reasons to cap Holder,

but this is as good a time as any. He should have passed on the information, as should have Mueller.

[Schema Thing]

12. you can't be trusted. I'm pulling your DU private investigators license.

[DURHAM D]

14. My question is when did Mueller tell Holder.

When this story broke it was reported that Holder just found out. I have not seen any news report that fixes a new date.

[morningfog]

17. We don't have a date yet and Holder and the DOJ aren't commenting publicly.

Time will tell.

[yardwork]

19. Or not.

I'm starting to think that the White House has known about this for some time, and days after the election was a good time to pounce and get rid of Petraeus. Elections have consequences.

[morningfog]

20. I hope you aren't right. The WH says they just found out.

The last thing we need is Obama to be wrapped up in this mess.