Federal prosecutors handling the case of David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA, have recommended that charges be filed against him for mishandling classified information, according to federal officials.

No charges have been filed, and it's up to Attorney General Eric Holder to decide whether the facts assembled by the FBI, and the case built by prosecutors, merit going to court.

Petraeus, a retired four-star general and once America's top man in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, became CIA director in 2011. The question has been whether he gave classified information to a woman who was writing a book about him — a woman who was also his mistress.

He acknowledged the affair when he stepped down after leading the CIA for about a year.

Neither Justice Department nor his lawyer, who has always insisted Petraeus did nothing wrong, had immediate comment. One federal official said this leak, first reported by The New York Times, is an effort to put pressure on Holder to bring charges, especially given that other, lower-level government officials have been charged with leaking classified information.

— Pete Williams