Comments on: Petraeus biographer-lover Broadwell had "substantial classified data" on computer

By: David

David — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Why couldn’t this have just been a silly, understandable affair? In the last few days the whole thing appears to be a truly big mess. If criminal charges don’t come down on the heads of everyone for this I’ll be ticked.

By: RSDeuce

RSDeuce — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:34:00 +0000

Remember, this can mean a lot of things.

Working in Government, a solid majority of the data you work is is Unclassified/For Official Use Only. Tons. Things in your email, things on your CDs and USB drives. Almost all data you handle.

When possible, you are usually supposed to use Data At Rest (hard disk, USB drive, etc) encryption for mobile computing of any sort. Most company and government laptops arefull of U/FOUO (but not Privacy Act, whole different deal there) info that rests in an encrypted container, and must be there by policy.

The statement “contained substantial classified information that should have been stored under more secure conditions” means that she had U/FOUO information and that some jackass that knew something wanted to break the story. It is a non-issue. If it turns out to be SECRET or above, that is different but whoever was in such a hurry to tell the media surely would have leaked that fact as well if it were the case.

By: tacokills

tacokills — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I bet she is a cylon.

By: amarx

amarx — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Donald Trump has already offered Petraeus a high-paying TV deal: http://hollywoodandswine.com/disgraced-general-david-petraeus-enlists-in-nbcs-celebrity-apprentice-all-stars/

By: Aaron Gilliland

Aaron Gilliland — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Wouldn’t anyone who had perused Wikileaks and not cleared their cache also have “substantial” classified data on their computers?

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Do you know something we don’t, or are you presuming? I mean, arguably it’s what you propose, sure. And there are also lots of other arguable situations out there where real wrongdoing is what’s being investigated at the highest levels of the US intelligence community though. Right? Arguably?

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:09:00 +0000

But which reality show is it?

Real Housewives of West Point?
Afghanistans Next Top General?
Not the Jersey Shore?

By: lafave

lafave — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:07:00 +0000

will Broadwell be treated as Thomas Drake or Bradley Manning for mishandling classified data? Even if she had authorization to read top secret material, it’s still a crime to take it home on your personal laptop.

By: Joe Buck

Joe Buck — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:07:00 +0000

Well, maybe. But classification is grotesquely overused these days. After al, the very existence of the drone program is classified (as if the “bad guys” don’t know what is killing them), so arguably if a reporter has managed to collect any notes from military sources that talk about it, s/he has classified information on his/her computer.

By: Ian G

Ian G — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:05:00 +0000

Now wait a F#$king minute.

I want to see David Petraeus, John Allen and anyone else involved in giving classified information away thrown into a government hole, tortured and prosecuted for aiding the enemy. That’s the standard Obama has laid out for whistleblowers like Bradley Manning, Thomas Drake, and Julian Assange; so the Obama Justice Department better throw the goddamn book at these guys and gals. If not he’s a total hypocrite, period.

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4393