This July 13, 2011, photo made available on the International Security Assistance Force's Flickr website shows the former Commander of ISAF and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Gen. David Petraeus, left, shaking hands with his biographer Paula Broadwell, with whom he had an extramarital affair.

WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement officials have recommended prosecuting retired Army Gen. David H. Petraeus for sharing classified information with a woman with whom he was having an affair while he was serving as CIA director, according to two officials familiar with the situation.

The recommendation leaves Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to make the final decision on whether to file felony charges against the former general.

It’s not uncommon for top Justice Department officials to reject recommendations for prosecution.

Petraeus stepped down in November 2012 as head of the CIA after his affair with an Army reserve officer who was writing his biography became public. He allegedly gave the woman, Paula Broadwell, access to his CIA email account and provided her other confidential information.

Until his resignation, Petraeus was seen as a leading political light both at the Pentagon and the CIA. He was widely lauded as the general who conceived and executed the surge strategy in Iraq in the final two years of the George W. Bush administration.

Although he admitted the affair and said he had shown “extremely poor judgment,” Patraeus insisted he never gave Broadwell classified material. FBI agents, however, later reportedly found classified material on her computer at her home in North Carolina.

“A recommendation to prosecute has been made,” said one U.S. official, asking not to be identified because the investigation is continuing. “The evidence was gathered in the Charlotte, N.C., area, and Washington was aware of it.”

Another official, also speaking confidentially, confirmed that prosecutors have asked for approval to file felony charges against the former general. “We’ve pushed for it, and we’re waiting,” the official said.

The Justice Department said Friday night it would have no comment on the issue, first reported Friday in The New York Times. Robert Barnett, Petraeus’ attorney, also declined to comment.

Steve Boylan, a spokesman for Petraeus, said the general had no comment.

Petraeus is credited with drafting the military’s counterinsurgency doctrine. As former commander of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, he helped turn around the war and led NATO forces in Afghanistan before retiring from the Army in 2011 to become CIA chief.

———

©2015 Tribune Co. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

