Petraeus Scandal Dominates Obama's First News Conference Since Re-Election
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) -- On Wednesday, for the first time since the CIA sex scandal broke, Americans heard from President Barack Obama. They also learned new details about the two women caught in the middle of it all.
It was the president's first press conference in eight months and he clearly wanted to talk about the so-called "fiscal cliff," but instead got hit with the sex scandal that drove his CIA director off the cliff and threatens to have another top general join him, CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reported.
"I have no evidence that classified information was disclosed that in any way would have had an effect on the national security," Obama said.
The first question at the president's press conference was whether he should have been told about the investigation of CIA chief David Petraeus and others before the election, but Obama dodged it.
"The FBI has its own protocols as to how they proceed. I'm going to let Director Mueller and others examine those protocols," Obama said.
But that led to more criticism.
"The president has to tell us what he knew and when he knew it. To me, it's very hard to believe that an investigation by the FBI of the director of the CIA … that the president was not told about it, that nobody on his staff was told about it," Rep. Peter King said.
Meanwhile, there were more developments. The military suspended the McDill Air Force Base pass for Florida socialite Jill Kelley, who started the ball rolling by complaining she got threatening e-mails that turned out to be from Paula Broadwell, the woman having an extra-marital affair with Petraeus and saw Kelley as a threat.
And as for Broadwell, she was videotaped Tuesday night drinking wine inside her brother's D.C. home. After searching her Charlotte, N.C. home the feds were reportedly trying to determine if she had any classified information in her files, and, if so, how she got it.
Also being probed were thousands of e-mails between Kelley and Gen. John Allen, he top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
Some of those e-mails were said to be "potentially inappropriate" and "flirtatious," but the secretary of defense urged caution.
"No one should leap to any conclusions," Leon Panetta said.
Kelley also made a 9-1-1 call to local police complaining of intruders on her property, and she wasn't afraid to flaunt her connections.
"I'm an honorary consul general so I have inviolability. So they should not be able to cross my property. I don't know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well," Kelley said on the call.
This story is far from over. House and Senate members are still angry they weren't in the loop and want to know why. Petraeus is still going to have to testify about the attack on the American consulate in Libya that led to the death of the ambassador and three other Americans.
