You can’t make this stuff up

The Washington Post reports that Jill Kelley, a close friend of both General Petraeus and General Allen, “cultivated close ties to the military.” She did so, in part, by throwing lavish parties for “military brass” that featured “valet parking, string quartets on the lawn, premium cigars and champagne, and caviar-laden buffets.”

Meanwhile, the Kelley family (her husband is a surgeon) is massively in debt, with foreclosure proceedings initiated on two of their properties.

The Post also reports that Kelley is a native of Lebanan, and acted (according to a former Petraeus staffer) as a self-appointed go-between for Central Command officers with Lebanese and other Middle East officials.

Kelley, says the Post, “flaunted her access to military VIPs but also developed genuine friendships with some.” By coincidence, two of the nation’s most very important military people were among her “genuine friends.”

Kelley’s complaint against Paula Broadwell sparked the investigation that uncovered the Petraeus scandal. This makes it difficult to believe that she was engaged in espionage. Otherwise, that suspicion might be hard to avoid. However, it should also be noted that, at some point, Kelley asked the FBI to drop the investigation.

One last twist, though. The FBI says that its search of Broadwell’s home found classified documents. So there appears to be a security breach, at a minimum, somewhere in this plot.

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