[h=3]By JAMES HOOKWAY[/h]BANGKOK—U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Thursday said he isn't aware of any additional government or military officials who received emails from Florida socialite Jill Kelley, the woman at the center of a scandal that led to David Petraeus's resignation as CIA director last week and then ensnared Marine Gen. John Allen, leader of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The U.S. defense chief also said he has full confidence in Gen. Allen, whose appointment as the chief of the U.S. European Command, as well as NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, has been stalled by the investigation into the Petraeus affair. Gen. Allen is a friend and email correspondent of Ms. Kelley, whose call to the FBI about anonymous emails warning her to keep away from another friend, Gen. Petraeus, led to the FBI probe that uncovered Gen. Petraeus's extramarital affair. The sender of those emails turned out to be Gen. Petraeus's biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell.
Speaking at a press conference after renewing the U.S.'s military relationship with treaty ally Thailand, Mr. Panetta said it is important to conduct a review of what happened, but added, "I'm not aware of any others who could be involved in this issue at the present time."
The scandal has emerged as a major embarrassment for the U.S. military establishment, overshadowing not only Mr. Panetta's trip to Australia, Thailand and Cambodia, but also President Barack Obama's scheduled visits to Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, where he plans to attend a major regional summit.
Mr. Panetta acknowledged that the Taliban, Gen. Petraeus's former foes in Afghanistan, might gain some political capital in the conservative Islamic country from his affair. "Obviously this is a possible area for them to explore, but frankly I think that if they want to have an impact there are probably other issues they can focus on besides the Petraeus matter," Mr. Panetta said.
He also declined to characterize email communications between Gen. Allen and Ms. Kelley, lest his comments influence the continuing investigation.
The U.S. defense chief also said he has full confidence in Gen. Allen, whose appointment as the chief of the U.S. European Command, as well as NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, has been stalled by the investigation into the Petraeus affair. Gen. Allen is a friend and email correspondent of Ms. Kelley, whose call to the FBI about anonymous emails warning her to keep away from another friend, Gen. Petraeus, led to the FBI probe that uncovered Gen. Petraeus's extramarital affair. The sender of those emails turned out to be Gen. Petraeus's biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell.
Speaking at a press conference after renewing the U.S.'s military relationship with treaty ally Thailand, Mr. Panetta said it is important to conduct a review of what happened, but added, "I'm not aware of any others who could be involved in this issue at the present time."
The scandal has emerged as a major embarrassment for the U.S. military establishment, overshadowing not only Mr. Panetta's trip to Australia, Thailand and Cambodia, but also President Barack Obama's scheduled visits to Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, where he plans to attend a major regional summit.
Mr. Panetta acknowledged that the Taliban, Gen. Petraeus's former foes in Afghanistan, might gain some political capital in the conservative Islamic country from his affair. "Obviously this is a possible area for them to explore, but frankly I think that if they want to have an impact there are probably other issues they can focus on besides the Petraeus matter," Mr. Panetta said.
He also declined to characterize email communications between Gen. Allen and Ms. Kelley, lest his comments influence the continuing investigation.