FBI agents interviewed ex-CIA chief David Petraeus Friday to probe whether secret files had been passed to the woman at the centre of the scandal that brought him down, USA Today reported. Petraeus, America's most celebrated military leader in a generation, stepped down in November as head of the spy agency after admitting to an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell.
The move ended a storied career marked by his tenure as military commander in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. USA Today cited a federal law enforcement official as saying that the interview at Petraeus's home in northern Virginia just outside Washington was part of an ongoing investigation into whether Broadwell had received classified information or whether such files were kept at an unauthorised location.
The investigation is taking considerable time to complete, according to the official. FBI spokeswoman Jacqueline Maguire told AFP that agents conducted "law enforcement activity" in northern Virginia. The bureau would not provide any further details on the matter. And CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood told AFP "the agency does not comment on active investigations." "CIA is fully co-operating with the FBI," she added. Petraeus made his first public speech last week since he quit over the extramarital affair, addressing more than 600 veterans and Reserve Officers' Training Corps students, hosted by the University of Southern California at a Los Angeles hotel.