U.S. General John Allen is under investigation over allegedly “inappropriate” emails he exchanged with the woman who sparked the probe into CIA Director David Petraeus.
The commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and his ties to Jill Kelley mark the latest twist in this bizarre saga.
In a statement, the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that the FBI had referred “a matter involving” Allen to the Department of Defense.
The statement said that Allen would remain commander of ISAF during the investigation and that he was “entitled to due process in this matter.”
A senior defense official told reporters Tuesday that it was alleged there had been “inappropriate communications” between Allen and Jill Kelley.
He also said Allen “disputes that he has engaged in any wrongdoing in this matter.”
The official said the investigation into the matter involved some 20,000-30,000 pages of material, mostly emails, which were sent from 2010-2012.
The David Petraeus scandal emerged after Kelley complained to the FBI about receiving anonymous threatening emails, which were traced to Paula Broadwell.
Petraeus’ biographer, Broadwell had been having an affair with the CIA Director and retired general, who has been married to Holly Petraeus since 1974.
During the investigation, agents discovered emails between Petraeus and Paula Broadwell that were indicative of an extramarital affair between them.
Petraeus, who was appointed 14 months ago to head the Central Intelligence Agency, announced his resignation on Friday, citing an extramarital affair.
Allen was in line to take over as head of U.S. forces in Europe and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe before the scandal broke last week.
On Monday, he was in Washington, D.C., preparing for his Senate confirmation hearings which were originally scheduled for Thursday, NBC News reported.
That nomination has now been put on hold “until the relevant facts are determined,” Panetta’s statement said, unaware of when it might take place.