Jill Kelley Defends Herself, Accuses Government of Leaking Information
Jill Kelley, a Miami socialite who was linked to former CIA Director David Petraeus during the revelation of his affair with Paula Broadwell, has hired an attorney.
Kelley's attorney, Abbe Lowell, has charged that the federal government leaked private information about his client despite the fact that she was not affiliated with the scandal. The report was made by the Associated Press, who wrote that Lowell "released emails, telephone recordings and other material that he and Kelley say proves she never tried to exploit her friendship with Petraeus."
Lowell has questioned why Kelley and her husband, Dr. Scott Kelley, were named during the investigation.
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"You no doubt have seen the tremendous attention that the Kelleys have received in the media," Lowell wrote in a letter addressed to W. Stephen Muldrow, the assistant U.S. Attorney in Tampa. "All they did to receive this attention was to let law enforcement know that they had been the subjects of inappropriate and potentially threatening behavior by someone else."
Lowell has also questioned who was responsible for leaking such information.
"These leaks most certainly had to come, at least in part, from government sources," Lowell added. "The earliest and best example of the leaks would be the release to the media of the names of my clients. As you know, there are several rules and laws that seek to protect United States citizens against such leaks."
Kelley and her husband became friends with Petraeus and Gen. John Allen while both were serving at the U.S. Central Command in Miami. Emails between Kelley and Gen. Allen came up during the investigation and some charged that the tone between the two was "flirtatious," according to AP, although that rumor has been denied.
The leaked information cost Kelley her appointment as an honorary consul for the South Korean government, AP noted.
