Petraeus's 'sex under the desk' mistress pictured just a few seats from his wife as colleague tells how she 'got her claws into him'
- Unidentified military source says Paula Broadwell relentlessly followed Petraeus to private events and ‘went from someone very likeable to a shameless self-promoting prom queen’
- Petraeus stepped down as CIA director on Friday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years
- Petraeus was caught after exchanging sexually explicit emails with his 40-year-old mistress
With their body language almost mirrored, Holly Petraeus, the now humiliated wife of former CIA chief David Petraeus sits just feet away from his 'mistress' Paula Broadwell in June of last year.
At the time of the photograph it is thought that the affair between the 60-year-old four-star general and his 40-year-old biographer was still continuing despite both being married with children.
And in a massive irony, both women are watching Petraeus sit before the Senate Select Committee that confirmed his position as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - the job he resigned from yesterday as a direct result of his affair.
Just Feet Apart: Holly Petraeus (left in white) and Paula Broadwell sit in the front row during the CIAconfirmation hearing of US Army General David Petraeus
Blaming Petraeus' biographer and reported mistress, Paula Broadwell for his downfall, the unammed individual said that the 40-year-old author and West Point graduate went out of her way to 'get her claws in him'.
Depicting her as obsessed with using the 60-year-old war-hero to further her own career, the unidentified source describes the married mother of two as a 'shamless self-promoting prom queen.'
According to an interview the figure gave to businessinsider.com, Broadwell latched onto Petraeus soon after they met at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2006 as she was wrapping up her Master's degree.
Intimate history: David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell shaking hands in front of the American flag
'It's one of those things that, as soon as the announcement was made, I knew in an instant who it was,' said 'Downing'.
'Everything made sense. Who had exclusive access to him? Who wrote the hagiography on his life? Who framed their entire existence around his persona?
Unflatteringly comparing her to Paula Jones the former Arkansas state employee who sued U.S. President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994, the source claims to have known Broadwell for six years.
'When she started work on the bio she called me for background on one of the general's previous deployments,' said 'Downing'.
'I probably gave her four hours or so, and we stayed in touch after that by email and an occasional phone call.'
Confident: Paula Broadwell appeared on The Daily Show with John Stewart in January to promote her biography of David Petraeus 'All In'
'Other woman': Paula Broadwell, left, is married and has two children. Petraeus has been married to his wife Holly, pictured right, for 37 years, and they also have two children
Husband and wife: Paula Broadwell pictured with her husband and father of her children, Scott, a radiologist
Comfortable: She lives with her husband and their two young sons in Charlotte, North Carolina, pictured
'Over that time, she went from someone very likeable to a shameless self-promoting prom queen,' said 'Downing'.
'A very disturbing shift in how she carried herself.
'If she knew P4 (Petraeus) was going to make an appearance at an event, she'd crash it without an invitation (she actually did this at the wedding of some close friends of mine) and photo bomb[ed] sic everyone there.'
The senior source who claims to know both parties, even made allowances for the retired four-star general whose policies allowed the U.S. to make a measured withdrawl from Iraq in 2011.
Even despite the Washington Post reporting that current and former U.S. military officials long had suspicions of Petraeus being involved in infidelities.
'You're a 60 year-old man and an attractive woman almost half your age makes herself available to you — that would be a test for anyone,' said 'Downing'.
'Claws In': Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus, pictured, reportedly had an affair that led to his resignation
Close: Broadwell first met Petraeus when he visited Harvard University, where she was a student
Oath of office: Petraeus was sworn in last September by Joe Biden with his wife Holly at his side
'The timing of the rumors of the administration throwing him under the bus after the election is suspect, but in the end I believe she got her claws — so to speak — in him,' said 'Downing'.
Warming to his theme that Broadwell is a shameless manipulator, the source hopes that Petraeus can recover his career of public service.
'He had enough honor to know that a cover-up is much worse than a public admission,' said 'Downing'.
'As a result, I think he can recover and continue to be a player on the national stage, but she's toast. Her reputation is unrecoverable, in my opinion.
'The General fell victim to the one thing that can destroy a military leader's reputation faster than death: Seduction.'
Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, and their two young sons, Lucien and Landon.
Embedded: Broadwell, pictured in Afghanistan, has more than a decade of U.S. military service
Devoted: Broadwell, pictured with Lt Col. Steve Grenier in Gizab, also writes opinion pieces on leadership
The racy communications between the four-star general and Broadwell were uncovered when the FBI began an investigation after suspecting corruption between the pair.
Petraeus resigned on Friday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly behaviour he explained was 'unacceptable' for a senior administration official.
Petraeus issued a statement acknowledging the affair after President Obama accepted his resignation, which was announced by the CIA soon after.
‘After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” he said in the statement. “Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation.’
After being sworn in as CIA Director on September 6th, 2011, Broadwell broke up with Petraeus, but he continued to pursue her, sending her thousands of emails over the last few months - raising questions about his judgement which led in part to his resignation.
Broadwell, who spent three years doing researching for her book, had extensive access to Petraeus in Afghanistan.
In the biography, Broadwell revealed she first met him during his visit to Harvard in spring 2006 when he was a Commander at Fort Leavenworth.
'I was among the students invited by the school to meet with the general at a dinner afterward, because of my military background,' she explained.
'I introduced myself to then–Lieutenant General Petraeus and told him about my research interests; he gave me his card and offered to put me in touch with other researchers and service members working on the same issues.'
Ally: Barack Obama could be harmed by the loss of one of his senior national security officials
As she pursued her PhD in public policy in 2008, she contacted him to ask if she could interview him and they kept in touch via email.
'A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and his team along the Potomac River during one of his visits to Washington,' she wrote. 'I figured I could interview him while we ran.'
She explained that, after earning varsity letters in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track, she wanted to test him to see if he could keep up with her as she interviewed him.
Instead it became a test for me,' she said. 'As we talked during the run from the Pentagon to the Washington Monument and back, Petraeus progressively increased the pace until the talk turned to heavy breathing and we reached a six-minute-per-mile pace. It was a signature Petraeus move.'
Promoting the book on The Daily Show with John Stewart in January, she insisted that these mile-long runs together were nothing out of the ordinary.
Family Man: In a photograph from 2004 David Petraeus, (center), commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, kisses his wife, Holly, (second left), as his son, Stephen, (left), and daughter, (Anne), right, look on
In another often awkward radio interview in January, host Don Imus said that the pair must have 'obviously' liked each other.
She responded: 'You know, as I said earlier, he has a number of mentees and that's one thing that's different when you compare him to other Senior Commanders.
'But, yeah, we had a lot of rapport. I think some of that comes from a common ground of having gone to West Point [to the U.S. Military Academy].'
Of her reported rival, she added: 'He is married to Holly Petraeus, who is a wonderful Military spouse and done so much for their children and for children of fallen soldiers, I respect her immensely.'
The book's description explains Broadwell conducted research for three years and was 'afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates and his longtime friends'. Its website adds Broadwell was embedded in Afghanistan with Petraeus for a year between July 2010 and 2011.
Broadwell graduated with honors from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, and came top of her class in physical fitness. Petraeus also attended the academy and married his wife Holly there.
She has more than a decade of military service and nearly two decades of work in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
She is studying for her PhD at Kings College in London, and is also a research associate at Harvard University's Center for Public Leadership. For her studies and the biography, she spent most of 2011 in Afghanistan as an embedded author.
As well as contributing to book chapters, appearing on television interviews and writing opinion pieces for The New York Times and the Boston Globe about leadership and women in defense, she has also worked as a model and demonstrator for KRISS, a .45 caliber machine gun manufacturer.
Of her reported rival, she added: 'He is married to Holly Petraeus, who is a wonderful Military spouse and done so much for their children and for children of fallen soldiers, I respect her immensely.'
The book's description explains Broadwell conducted research for three years and was 'afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates and his longtime friends'. Its website adds Broadwell was embedded in Afghanistan with Petraeus for a year between July 2010 and 2011.
Glory Days: David Petraeus is America's best-known general and arguably the most consequential Army leader of his generation. Here he salutes troops in Afghanistan in 2011
David Petraeus testifies before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in Washington D.C. in January in his capacity as Director of the CIA
She has more than a decade of military service and nearly two decades of work in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
She is studying for her PhD at Kings College in London, and is also a research associate at Harvard University's Center for Public Leadership. For her studies and the biography, she spent most of 2011 in Afghanistan as an embedded author.
As well as contributing to book chapters, appearing on television interviews and writing opinion pieces for The New York Times and the Boston Globe about leadership and women in defense, she has also worked as a model and demonstrator for KRISS, a .45 caliber machine gun manufacturer.
President Obama accepted Petraeus' resignation but described him as 'one of the outstanding General officers of his generation' as he added: 'By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.'
Deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting head of the agency until a permanent replacement for Petraeus is appointed.
In his resignation letter addressed to CIA agents, Petraeus wrote that 'such behaviour is unacceptable' for a senior administration official.
Deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting head of the agency until a permanent replacement for Petraeus is appointed.
In his resignation letter addressed to CIA agents, Petraeus wrote that 'such behaviour is unacceptable' for a senior administration official.
Sweethearts: Petraeus on the day he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1974, pictured with his fiancée Holly Knowlton, whose father was the superintendent of West Point












