Agent in Petraeus case faces probe

File photo: Jill Kelley, a friend of the Petraeus family, walks out of her home toward her car on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, Florida.

File photo: Jill Kelley, a friend of the Petraeus family, walks out of her home toward her car on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, Florida.

Published Nov 13, 2012

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Washington -

The FBI agent who launched a probe that eventually led to CIA chief David Petraeus's resignation is now himself the subject of an internal investigation of his conduct, a report said on Monday.

The unidentified agent allegedly sent shirtless photos of himself to Jill Kelley, a Florida woman who asked him for help after she received threatening emails accusing her of flirting with Petraeus, the Wall Street Journal said.

The agent was pulled off the case over the summer and is now under investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's internal affairs unit, the newspaper said.

FBI investigators discovered that the harassing emails received by Kelley were found to have been sent by Paula Broadwell, a former army officer and biographer of Petraeus who had had an extramarital affair with him.

Broadwell was apparently suspicious of Kelley's friendship with Petraeus, and suspected that the Tampa woman - a Petraeus family friend - has amorous intentions towards the retired four-star general.

The explosive sex scandal led to the CIA chief's resignation on Friday, shocking the Washington establishment and raising questions about how and why the FBI kept the investigation under wraps for months.

The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed FBI officials as saying supervisors became concerned that the initial agent approached by Kelley was “obsessed” with the matter, and discovered the emails of shirtless photos of himself.

After being barred from working on the case, the agent approached a US lawmaker, Republican David Reichert of Washington state, expressing fears that the matter would be covered up.

That information was relayed back to FBI headquarters via congressional leaders, the report said. - Sapa-AFP

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